Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and St Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $30,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
213

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in St Thomas

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $4,408 in St Thomas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
St Thomas $4,408

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $7,220 in St Thomas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
St Thomas $7,220

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $10.0K in St Thomas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
St Thomas $10.0K

Nosara is about 58% cheaper than St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and St Thomas sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, St Thomas by 227%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.30 $22.30

-44.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$170 $170

-64.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.55 $13.55

-44.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.90 $5.90

-25.25%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.95 $3.95

-55.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.39 $3.39

-61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.12 $5.12

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.81 $6.81

-34.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.88 $2.88

-45.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$6.67 $6.67

-54.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$18.54 $18.54

-86.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$8.87 $8.87

-59.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.12 $11.12

-33.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$28.44 $28.44

-63.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$39.72 $39.72

-64.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$11.91 $11.91

-80.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$10.89 $10.89

-85.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$12.30 $12.30

-60.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$19.99 $19.99

-91.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.95 $1.95

94.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$8.76 $8.76

-57.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$8.18 $8.18

-86.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$5.39 $5.39

-50.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$24.57 $24.57

-19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$6.18 $6.18

-41.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.98 $1.98

-43.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$60.7 $60.7

19.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$19.61 $19.61

-89.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.08 $3.08

-49.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.39 $1.39

9.35%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$55.2K $55.2K

-60.84%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$49.0K $49.0K

-29.54%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$451 $451

-78.64%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$100 $100

-64.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$151 $151

-64.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$164 $164

-56.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.04 $10.04

-21.41%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,487 $1,487

-66.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.9K $21.9K

-45.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$113 $113

-52.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$148 $148

-62.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$202 $202

-61.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$151 $151

-47.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,586 $1,586

-50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,827 $1,827

-56.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$3,187 $3,187

23.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$4,229 $4,229

-66.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,896 $4,896

41.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$10.9K $10.9K

-88.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,726 $2,726

-68.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.45

-8.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.5% 130% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7% 171% $604

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

St Thomas

$358 8.1% 69.2% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

St Thomas

$702 15.9% 278% $517

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

St Thomas

$276 6.3% 130% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

St Thomas

$184 4.2% 111% $97

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 18.9% $16

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 $1,586 in St Thomas. 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 216% higher in St Thomas, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $170 in St Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $956 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

20,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara St Thomas 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
St Thomas

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 St Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $4,408 in St Thomas – roughly 140% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $6,612 in St Thomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 20% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,487 in St Thomas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in St Thomas at $4,408. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Thomas 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $4,408 in St Thomas. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.