Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tuam

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,580 in Tuam, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Tuam
Learn more

Tuam Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Tuam

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tuam

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $2,580 in Tuam, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Tuam $2,580

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $3,675 in Tuam, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Tuam $3,675

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $4,770 in Tuam, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Tuam $4,770

Nosara is about 29% cheaper than Tuam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Tuam sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Tuam by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$19.76 €17.57

-37.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$61.5 €54.7

-0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$14.32 €12.74

-45.81%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.47 €3.98

-0.67%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.92 €2.60

-38.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.85 €1.65

-30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$7.03 €6.25

-53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$6.59 €5.86

-32.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.59 €1.42

-2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.28 €2.03

35.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.92 €1.71

31.77%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.42 €3.93

-21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.28 €9.14

-28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$12.75 €11.34

-19.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$13.27 €11.81

6.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.05 €2.71

-24.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.29 €2.04

-28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.09 €2.75

55.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.84 €4.30

-66.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.96 €1.74

96.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.47 €1.30

155.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.37 €1.22

-20.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$2.07 €1.84

25.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$20.29 €18.05

-74.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$13.56 €12.06

46.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$3.47 €3.09

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.46 €3.08

1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.57 €2.29

-52.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$5.09 €4.53

-57.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.55 €1.38

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$33.37 €29.68

-74.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.02 €1.80

-23.27%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.0K €34.7K

-11.32%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$38.1K €33.9K

1.69%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$244 €217

-61.16%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$21.40 €19.04

68.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$50.3 €44.72

5.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$58.9 €52.4

25.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$13.18 €11.72

-39.98%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$1,009 €897

-51.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,119 €4,553

132.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$95.7 €85.1

-42.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$42.02 €37.38

32.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$108 €95.7

-25.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 €101

-31.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,609 €1,431

-50.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,318 €1,172

-40.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,576 €2,291

55.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$2,092 €1,860

-32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$3,293 €2,929

-62.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.14

108.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tuam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Tuam

$1.3K 51.1% 66.9% $528

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Tuam

$355 13.7% 1.4% $4.8

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Tuam

$322 12.5% 51.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Tuam

$316 12.2% 71.6% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Tuam

$161 6.3% 33.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Tuam

$85 3.3% 4.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Tuam

$23 * 0.9% 73.9% $66

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 $1,609 in Tuam. 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 $61.0 in Tuam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $355 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇪 Tuam

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

10:37 10:37 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

9,647

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Tuam 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tuam

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 Tuam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $2,580 in Tuam – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $3,870 in Tuam. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $61.0 in Tuam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Tuam, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Tuam at $2,580. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tuam 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,580 in Tuam. 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, Tuam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.