Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $949 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mexicali

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $949 in Mexicali, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Mexicali $949

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,525 in Mexicali, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Mexicali $1,525

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,101 in Mexicali, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Mexicali $2,101

Nosara costs about 94% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Mexicali is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$12.10 MX$222

0.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$34.24 MX$629

75.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.69 MX$123

12.71%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.43 MX$62.9

25.66%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.34 MX$24.60

28.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.12 MX$20.65

20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.23 MX$59.2

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.26 MX$78.2

5.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.20 MX$22.10

30.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.39 MX$43.96

32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.54 MX$28.33

57.14%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.76 MX$50.7

29.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$2.42 MX$44.48

207.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.00 MX$110

73.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.66 MX$122

105.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.63 MX$29.85

42.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.40 MX$25.74

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.40 MX$25.78

238.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.63 MX$29.98

1.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.41 MX$25.91

163.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.42 MX$26.03

151.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.35 MX$24.70

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.85 MX$15.66

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.01 MX$73.7

23.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.06 MX$148

148.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.94 MX$35.61

43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.90 MX$71.6

-9.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.05 MX$19.20

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$35.15 MX$645

105.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.84 MX$52.1

-21.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.26 MX$41.57

-31.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$19.06 MX$350

-53.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.34 MX$24.60

17.16%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.7K MX$399.3K

0.25%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.4K MX$447.3K

42.17%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$47.14 MX$866

98.24%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$22.65 MX$416

55.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.19 MX$554

70.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$39.21 MX$720

82.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$16.63 MX$305

113.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.08 MX$75.0

92.16%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$210 MX$3,860

132.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,724 MX$86.7K

151.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$34.95 MX$642

53.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$32.98 MX$605

69.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$77.4 MX$1,420

2.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$38.03 MX$698

107.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$998 MX$18.3K

-21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$276 MX$5,059

183.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,357 MX$24.9K

184.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$556 MX$10.2K

152.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,638 MX$48.4K

164.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,474 MX$27.1K

-18.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$860 MX$15.8K

1.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.07

-28.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Mexicali

$276 29.1% 64.7% $504

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Mexicali

$197 20.8% 43.6% $152

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Mexicali

$192 20.3% 8.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Mexicali

$100 10.5% 44.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Mexicali

$83 8.7% 31.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mexicali

$47 5% 45.6% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mexicali

$53 5.6% 38.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $998 in Mexicali. 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 2% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $34.00 in Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $197 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

854,186

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Mexicali 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $949 in Mexicali – roughly 94% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,423 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 77% 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $34.00 in Mexicali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $949 in Mexicali to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Mexicali. 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.