Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Marabella

For one person, living is cheaper in Marabella: $766 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Marabella
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Marabella Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Marabella

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Marabella

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 Marabella actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $766 in Marabella.

Nosara $1,839
Marabella $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,313 in Marabella.

Nosara $2,828
Marabella $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,860 in Marabella.

Nosara $3,818
Marabella $1,860

Living in Nosara is roughly 140% more expensive than in Marabella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Marabella is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.15 TTD 68.3

21.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$58.8 TTD 395

4.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.24 TTD 55.4

-8.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.77 TTD 25.36

16.98%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.01 TTD 6.77

72.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.71 TTD 4.78

84.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.80 TTD 12.10

82.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.61 TTD 17.57

71.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.05 TTD 13.77

-23.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.34 TTD 15.72

29.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.92 TTD 19.62

-14.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.81 TTD 25.61

-6.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.74 TTD 45.36

10.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.22 TTD 68.8

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.91 TTD 59.9

56.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.60 TTD 37.66

-58.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.50 TTD 16.81

-35.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.67 TTD 24.69

30.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.17 TTD 28.03

-61.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.75 TTD 5.06

406.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.77 TTD 5.15

379.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.44 TTD 9.70

-21.53%

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

$5.46 TTD 36.76

-5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.68 TTD 119

12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.48 TTD 9.93

95.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.93 TTD 19.74

23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.87 TTD 5.87

145.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.87 TTD 5.83

80.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.57 TTD 98.0

-41.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.15 TTD 7.74

32.17%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.3K TTD 250.6K

-42.00%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$42.0K TTD 282.2K

-17.73%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$43.38 TTD 292

121.97%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$41.83 TTD 281

-14.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$45.32 TTD 305

18.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.76 TTD 58.9

-9.93%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$405 TTD 2,724

22.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

10.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.7 TTD 361

0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.47 TTD 245

51.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$89.7 TTD 603

-13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$90.0 TTD 606

-11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

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 Marabella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Marabella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Marabella

$319 41.7% 9.3% $33

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Marabella

$172 22.5% 18.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Marabella

$131 17% 29.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Marabella

$121 15.9% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Marabella

$18 * 2.3% 79.9% $70

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Marabella

$5.2 * 0.7% 94% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $59.0 in Marabella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $319 per month, with Marabella cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇹 Marabella

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

26,700

💱 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 Marabella 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Marabella

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 Marabella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Marabella differ by about 140% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $766 including rent). Marabella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,150 in Marabella to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $766 in Marabella – a 140% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $766 in Marabella versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marabella but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Marabella the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Marabella are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Marabella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.