Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tena

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $831 in Tena, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Tena $831

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,425 in Tena, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Tena $1,425

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,018 in Tena, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Tena $2,018

Nosara costs about 121% more than Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Tena is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.03 $6.03

104.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$54.9 $54.9

11.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.61 $7.61

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.39 $3.39

30.09%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.38 $1.38

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.10 $1.10

19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.45 $3.45

-4.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.09 $6.09

-26.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.15 $1.15

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.53 $1.53

97.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.56 $1.56

60.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.16 $2.16

65.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.41 $6.41

15.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.63 $5.63

86.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.77 $7.77

79.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.22 $2.22

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.18 $1.18

36.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.27 $1.27

277.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 $1.13

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.19 $1.19

219.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.07 $1.07

244.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.92 $0.92

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.05 $1.05

153.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.87 $5.87

-11.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.91 $9.91

100.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.59 $1.59

82.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.17 $3.17

14.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.33 $0.33

239.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$16.94 $16.94

328.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.51 $1.51

41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.76 $0.76

106.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.95 $9.95

-14.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.80 $0.80

90.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.3K $21.3K

1.60%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.5K $28.5K

21.07%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$29.16 $29.16

230.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.66 $17.66

103.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.72 $28.72

86.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.43 $32.43

120.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.44 $15.44

126.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.45 $6.45

22.33%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$226 $226

118.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,840 $8,840

34.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$69.8 $69.8

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$50.4 $50.4

9.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 $114

-31.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$106 $106

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$300 $300

162.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$186 $186

328.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$728 $728

441.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$417 $417

240.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,120 $1,120

517.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$717 $717

70.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.12

-14.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Tena

$186 22.3% 76.6% $609

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Tena

$197 23.8% 44% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Tena

$151 18.2% 28.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Tena

$76 9.1% 59.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Tena

$153 18.4% 27.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tena

$45 5.5% 48.1% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Tena

$24 2.8% 72.9% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $300 in Tena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $55.0 in Tena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $197 – making Tena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

22:21 10:21 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

16,669

💱 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 = 0.89 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Tena 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $831 in Tena – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,247 in Tena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 329% less in Tena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $226 in Tena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tena 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 $831 in Tena 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 Tena. 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.