Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Phoenix

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $823 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Phoenix
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Phoenix Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Phoenix

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Phoenix

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $823 in Phoenix, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Phoenix $823

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,303 in Phoenix, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Phoenix $1,303

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,783 in Phoenix, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Phoenix $1,783

Nosara costs about 123% more than Phoenix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Phoenix is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.12 MUR 99.7

482.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.62 MUR 1,489

93.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.31 MUR 344

2.87%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.18 MUR 244

-14.86%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.60 MUR 28.29

190.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.55 MUR 25.79

138.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.05 MUR 96.4

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.29 MUR 249

-15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.44 MUR 68.0

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.40 MUR 19.01

655.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.16 MUR 101

16.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.91 MUR 231

-27.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.21 MUR 387

28.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.45 MUR 304

116.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$7.50 MUR 353

-68.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.88 MUR 183

-58.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.58 MUR 215

4.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.49 MUR 70.0

8.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.85 MUR 40.12

347.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.86 MUR 40.69

329.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.72 MUR 34.03

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.76 MUR 35.76

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.39 MUR 489

91.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.04 MUR 95.9

42.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.08 MUR 50.7

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$10.33 MUR 486

603.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.46 MUR 68.7

7.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.33 MUR 62.5

14.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.01 MUR 659

156.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.77 MUR 1,166

116.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.58 MUR 1,204

179.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.21 MUR 245

51.44%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.3 MUR 2,511

1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$52.7 MUR 2,481

5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$526 MUR 24.8K

49.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$311 MUR 14.6K

155.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$831 MUR 39.1K

374.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$535 MUR 25.2K

165.08%

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

$959 MUR 45.1K

-9.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phoenix: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Phoenix

$311 37.8% 60.8% $483

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Phoenix

$241 * 29.3% 31.6% $111

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Phoenix

$126 15.4% 40.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Phoenix

$39 * 4.7% 79.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Phoenix

$48 * 5.8% 60.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Phoenix

$36 4.4% 58.8% $51

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Phoenix

$22 * 2.7% 74.8% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $526 in Phoenix. 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 11% higher in Phoenix, 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 $32.00 in Phoenix. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $241 – making Phoenix the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇺 Phoenix

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

18:54 6:54 PM

10 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

115,289

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Phoenix 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Phoenix

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 Phoenix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $823 in Phoenix – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,234 in Phoenix. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 603% less in Phoenix. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 46% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Phoenix, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Phoenix 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 $823 in Phoenix to $1,839 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 Phoenix. 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.