Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,138 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nogales

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,138 in Nogales.

Nosara $1,837
Nogales $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,854 in Nogales.

Nosara $2,775
Nogales $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,570 in Nogales.

Nosara $3,712
Nogales $2,570

Living in Nosara is roughly 61% more expensive than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Nogales is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$10.96 MX$199

11.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$45.05 MX$820

33.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.37 MX$152

-9.92%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.62 MX$65.8

19.06%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.35 MX$24.56

27.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.04 MX$18.83

29.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.58 MX$46.86

25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.10 MX$74.6

9.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.58 MX$28.83

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.63 MX$47.77

20.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.73 MX$31.56

39.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.55 MX$46.34

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.49 MX$154

-12.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.51 MX$155

22.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.84 MX$215

15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.73 MX$49.58

-15.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.59 MX$28.89

1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.91 MX$34.83

148.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.85 MX$33.73

-10.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.96 MX$35.68

89.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.92 MX$34.86

85.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.45 MX$26.30

-24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.11 MX$20.12

129.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.33 MX$78.7

14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.64 MX$194

88.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.84 MX$33.40

51.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.25 MX$59.2

8.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.69 MX$12.54

72.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.58 MX$47.00

-13.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.06 MX$37.44

-24.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.28 MX$205

-21.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.48 MX$26.89

6.08%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.2K MX$385.8K

2.80%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.9K MX$452.4K

39.27%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$62.4 MX$1,136

49.66%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$22.44 MX$408

56.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.41 MX$553

69.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$34.79 MX$633

105.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$20.65 MX$376

71.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.22 MX$94.9

50.19%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$224 MX$4,067

118.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,654 MX$84.7K

155.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$55.1 MX$1,002

-2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$42.38 MX$771

31.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$103 MX$1,874

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$92.4 MX$1,681

-14.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$614 MX$11.2K

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$400 MX$7,273

95.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,072 MX$19.5K

260.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$786 MX$14.3K

79.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,927 MX$35.1K

261.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,151 MX$20.9K

4.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.3

-23.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nogales: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Nogales

$400 34.4% 48.7% $380

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Nogales

$269 23.1% 23.2% $81

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Nogales

$187 16.1% 10.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Nogales

$115 9.9% 36% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Nogales

$132 11.3% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nogales

$45 3.9% 48.1% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nogales

$16 * 1.3% 82% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $614 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $45.00 in Nogales for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $269 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

261,137

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Nogales 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Nogales differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,138 including rent). Nogales is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $1,707 in Nogales 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $614 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $224 in Nogales. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nogales – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,138 in Nogales versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nogales but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Nogales 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 Nogales 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 Nogales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.