Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Todos Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Todos Santos: $1,398 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Todos Santos
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Todos Santos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Todos Santos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Todos Santos

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,398 in Todos Santos, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Todos Santos $1,398

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,069 in Todos Santos, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Todos Santos $2,069

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,741 in Todos Santos, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Todos Santos $2,741

Nosara costs about 31% more than Todos Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Todos Santos sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Todos Santos by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$10.97 MX$203

12.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$44.57 MX$824

37.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.31 MX$154

-6.62%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.54 MX$65.3

25.42%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.41 MX$26.01

26.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.06 MX$19.67

21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.44 MX$45.14

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.13 MX$76.3

7.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.60 MX$29.60

-3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.68 MX$49.48

14.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.65 MX$30.44

53.33%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.53 MX$46.72

36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.01 MX$148

-8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$8.20 MX$151

24.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.37 MX$210

24.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.82 MX$52.1

-18.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.57 MX$28.97

4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.91 MX$35.22

150.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.83 MX$33.86

-10.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.92 MX$35.53

100.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.80 MX$33.30

108.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.46 MX$26.92

-25.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.13 MX$20.97

129.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.34 MX$80.3

17.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.44 MX$193

90.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.75 MX$32.31

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.23 MX$59.8

8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.63 MX$11.61

93.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.58 MX$47.63

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.95 MX$35.96

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$11.14 MX$206

-22.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.48 MX$27.32

4.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.9K MX$386.6K

65.16%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$23.7K MX$437.5K

63.67%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$58.6 MX$1,082

61.95%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$23.08 MX$426

56.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$29.66 MX$548

78.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$34.43 MX$636

114.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$20.26 MX$374

75.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.05 MX$93.4

56.63%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$217 MX$4,006

126.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,567 MX$84.4K

160.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$54.0 MX$997

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$40.53 MX$749

37.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$100 MX$1,853

-19.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.2 MX$1,666

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$993 MX$18.3K

-19.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$650 MX$12.0K

21.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,880 MX$34.7K

113.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$979 MX$18.1K

43.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,910 MX$35.3K

269.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,134 MX$20.9K

9.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Todos Santos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Todos Santos

$650 46.5% 17.7% $140

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Todos Santos

$264 18.9% 24.5% $86

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Todos Santos

$185 13.3% 12.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Todos Santos

$111 8% 39.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Todos Santos

$128 9.2% 6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Todos Santos

$45 3.2% 50.3% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Todos Santos

$15 * 1.1% 83.3% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $993 in Todos Santos. 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 $45.00 in Todos Santos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $264 – making Todos Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇽 Todos Santos

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,148

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Todos Santos 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Todos Santos

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 Todos Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,398 in Todos Santos – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,097 in Todos Santos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Todos Santos, 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 $61.0 in Nosara and $45.00 in Todos Santos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% 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 Todos Santos, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Todos Santos 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 $1,398 in Todos Santos to $1,835 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 Todos Santos. 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.