Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tobago

For one person, living is cheaper in Tobago: $1,202 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
Learn more

Tobago Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tobago

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,202 in Tobago, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Tobago $1,202

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,819 in Tobago, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Tobago $1,819

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,436 in Tobago, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Tobago $2,436

Nosara costs about 53% more than Tobago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Tobago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$10.12 TTD 68.3

20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$42.28 TTD 285

42.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.68 TTD 65.3

-22.11%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.74 TTD 25.24

15.24%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.59 TTD 10.76

8.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.73 TTD 11.70

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.74 TTD 25.27

-13.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.55 TTD 30.73

-1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.58 TTD 17.44

-39.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.36 TTD 15.92

34.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.40 TTD 16.20

0.83%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.69 TTD 31.69

-23.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.39 TTD 43.17

16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$7.44 TTD 50.2

40.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.05 TTD 40.86

125.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.02 TTD 27.14

-42.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.49 TTD 16.79

-35.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.33 TTD 15.72

103.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.35 TTD 15.90

-29.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.95 TTD 6.41

291.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.62 TTD 10.93

120.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.81 TTD 12.20

-39.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.49 TTD 10.08

71.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.34 TTD 29.33

14.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$21.95 TTD 148

-8.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.68 TTD 24.83

-24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.34 TTD 29.28

-18.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.71 TTD 4.78

67.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.77 TTD 5.17

190.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$8.66 TTD 58.5

2.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.03 TTD 6.93

52.43%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$60.0 TTD 405

55.75%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$26.57 TTD 179

32.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$75.1 TTD 507

-31.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$52.2 TTD 352

36.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.59 TTD 51.2

3.29%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$74.3 TTD 501

559.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$43.74 TTD 295

22.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$48.89 TTD 330

14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$142 TTD 961

-44.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$89.2 TTD 602

-11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$407 TTD 2,746

93.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$327 TTD 2,204

138.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$552 TTD 3,728

599.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$524 TTD 3,536

168.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$730 TTD 4,931

19.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tobago: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Tobago

$327 27% 58.1% $453

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Tobago

$311 25.6% 11.1% $39

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Tobago

$196 16.2% 6.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Tobago

$162 13.3% 10.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Tobago

$146 12% 21.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tobago

$67 5.6% 22.7% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tobago

$3.6 * 0.3% 95.9% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $407 in Tobago. 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 20% 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 $42.00 in Tobago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $311 – making Tobago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇹 Tobago

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

54,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 TTD = 0.148 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.75 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.57 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Tobago 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tobago

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 Tobago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,202 in Tobago – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,804 in Tobago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $42.00 in Tobago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tobago, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Tobago 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 $1,202 in Tobago 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 Tobago. 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.