Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tongi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tongi: $329 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Tongi
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Tongi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Tongi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tongi

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $329 in Tongi, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Tongi $329

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $536 in Tongi, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Tongi $536

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $743 in Tongi, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Tongi $743

Nosara costs about 459% more than Tongi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Tongi is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.08 ৳257

493.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$9.21 ৳1,137

564.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.29 ৳530

75.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 ৳311

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳512

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.77 ৳219

149.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.34 ৳41.41

411.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.13 ৳15.66

907.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.75 ৳92.7

108.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.49 ৳61.0

516.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.58 ৳71.7

332.76%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.16 ৳144

207.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.57 ৳935

-1.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.21 ৳273

376.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.06 ৳749

130.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.51 ৳310

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.78 ৳96.7

106.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.38 ৳294

101.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.54 ৳66.2

198.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.25 ৳31.23

1420.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.49 ৳61.2

653.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.49 ৳60.8

130.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.23 ৳28.27

1056.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.46 ৳922

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 ৳350

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 ৳497

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.90 ৳358

78.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.46 ৳56.6

143.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.79 ৳97.4

170.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.39 ৳47.78

302.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.92 ৳361

191.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.19 ৳147

27.73%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.5K ৳4.0M

-33.60%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.3K ৳4.0M

6.85%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$29.47 ৳3,641

226.74%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.24 ৳523

746.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$8.04 ৳994

566.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$13.89 ৳1,716

415.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.61 ৳446

118.56%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$26.09 ৳3,223

1793.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,540 ৳190.3K

670.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$21.94 ৳2,711

145.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$23.70 ৳2,928

133.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$32.92 ৳4,068

136.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$34.47 ৳4,259

130.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$90.0 ৳11.1K

775.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$50.9 ৳6,287

1461.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$167 ৳20.7K

2252.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$117 ৳14.5K

1110.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$671 ৳82.9K

929.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$103 ৳12.7K

741.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.48

-17.75%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tongi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Tongi

$51 15.5% 93.6% $743

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Tongi

$107 32.6% 69.6% $245

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Tongi

$53 16% 75.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Tongi

$42 12.7% 77.5% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Tongi

$51 15.5% 57.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tongi

$21 6.4% 75.8% $66

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Tongi

$4.6 * 1.4% 94.8% $83

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 $90.0 in Tongi. 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 741% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $9.00 in Tongi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $107 – making Tongi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇩 Tongi

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

05:23 5:23 AM

12 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

406,420

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Tongi 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tongi

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 Tongi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $329 in Tongi – roughly 459% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $493 in Tongi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tongi, 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 $9.00 in Tongi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 228% 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 Tongi, where all-in costs run around $329, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tongi 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 $329 in Tongi 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 Tongi. 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.