Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Diego Martin

For one person, living is cheaper in Diego Martin: $1,343 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Diego Martin
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Diego Martin Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Diego Martin

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Diego Martin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Diego Martin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,343 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Diego Martin $1,343

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,296 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Diego Martin $2,296

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,249 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Diego Martin $3,249

Nosara costs about 37% more than Diego Martin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Diego Martin sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Diego Martin by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.69 TTD 78.6

5.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$87.3 TTD 587

-29.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.67 TTD 58.3

-13.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.80 TTD 25.54

16.05%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₡780

$1.22 TTD 8.22

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.87 TTD 5.84

50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.23 TTD 14.97

47.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.74 TTD 25.14

19.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.46 TTD 16.53

-36.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.35 TTD 15.78

28.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.78 TTD 18.73

-9.71%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.43 TTD 29.78

-19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.79 TTD 45.69

9.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.89 TTD 66.5

6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.92 TTD 60.0

56.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.57 TTD 37.47

-57.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.45 TTD 16.50

-34.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.60 TTD 24.24

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.30 TTD 28.93

-62.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.70 TTD 4.72

442.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.76 TTD 5.12

385.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.49 TTD 10.05

-24.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.17 TTD 7.85

127.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.44 TTD 36.62

-4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.52 TTD 118

13.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.48 TTD 9.99

95.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.98 TTD 20.06

21.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.87 TTD 5.83

28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$73.4 TTD 493

-0.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.00 TTD 6.73

114.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.91 TTD 6.15

72.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.85 TTD 99.9

-42.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.17 TTD 7.84

29.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.4K TTD 97.0K

49.81%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$41.3K TTD 278.0K

-16.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$44.68 TTD 301

115.51%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$41.43 TTD 279

-13.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$44.69 TTD 301

19.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$43.24 TTD 291

65.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.84 TTD 59.5

-10.75%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$494 ₡221.6K

$398 TTD 2,677

24.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

10.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.9 TTD 362

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.76 TTD 247

50.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$86.7 TTD 584

-10.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$88.5 TTD 595

-10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$666 TTD 4,481

18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$434 TTD 2,917

83.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,443 TTD 9,704

173.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$954 TTD 6,414

48.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,735 TTD 11.7K

-50.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.75

49.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Diego Martin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Diego Martin

$434 32.3% 45.4% $361

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Diego Martin

$324 24.1% 8% $28

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Diego Martin

$192 14.3% 9.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Diego Martin

$131 9.7% 29.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Diego Martin

$120 8.9% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Diego Martin

$61 4.5% 30.3% $26

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Diego Martin

$82 6.1% 5.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $666 in Diego Martin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 101% higher in Diego Martin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $87.0 in Diego Martin. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $324 in Diego Martin – so Diego Martin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇹 Diego Martin

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

25,370

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Diego Martin 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Diego Martin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nosara vs Diego Martin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 37% more than Diego Martin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,015 in Diego Martin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Diego Martin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $87.0 in Diego Martin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Diego Martin, where all-in costs run around $1,343, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Diego Martin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Diego Martin costs $1,343 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Diego Martin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.