Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tunapuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunapuna: $991 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Tunapuna
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Tunapuna Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Tunapuna

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tunapuna

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $991 in Tunapuna, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Tunapuna $991

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $1,746 in Tunapuna, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Tunapuna $1,746

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $2,502 in Tunapuna, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Tunapuna $2,502

Nosara costs about 86% more than Tunapuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Tunapuna is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$10.21 TTD 68.6

21.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$75.2 TTD 505

-19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$8.05 TTD 54.0

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$3.81 TTD 25.59

15.49%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.99 TTD 6.65

73.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.71 TTD 4.77

88.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$1.81 TTD 12.16

84.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$2.91 TTD 19.56

56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.09 TTD 14.04

-21.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.25 TTD 15.09

40.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.87 TTD 19.30

-16.72%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.73 TTD 25.02

-6.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$6.47 TTD 43.47

10.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$10.05 TTD 67.5

2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$9.02 TTD 60.6

54.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$5.46 TTD 36.67

-58.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$2.54 TTD 17.06

-36.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$3.65 TTD 24.51

31.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.17 TTD 27.98

-59.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$0.77 TTD 5.15

407.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$0.71 TTD 4.80

411.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.47 TTD 9.85

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.15 TTD 7.72

128.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$5.30 TTD 35.61

-5.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$18.99 TTD 128

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.54 TTD 10.32

88.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.98 TTD 20.01

18.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.86 TTD 5.78

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.90 TTD 6.05

81.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$14.81 TTD 99.4

-40.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.11 TTD 7.45

39.64%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$37.5K TTD 251.6K

-9.57%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$41.3K TTD 277.6K

-6.94%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$43.39 TTD 291

119.43%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$41.96 TTD 282

-13.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$45.57 TTD 306

14.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$8.66 TTD 58.1

-12.93%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$402 TTD 2,700

23.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$10.9K TTD 72.9K

8.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$54.0 TTD 363

2.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$36.71 TTD 246

52.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$88.0 TTD 591

-11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$59.5 TTD 399

32.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$282 TTD 1,895

189.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$237 TTD 1,593

239.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$675 TTD 4,533

490.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$591 TTD 3,965

141.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.75

49.91%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tunapuna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Tunapuna

$237 24% 70.5% $568

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Tunapuna

$320 32.2% 9% $32

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Tunapuna

$173 17.5% 18.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Tunapuna

$131 13.2% 28.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Tunapuna

$107 10.8% 11.1% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Tunapuna

$5.4 * 0.5% 94% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Tunapuna

$17 * 1.8% 79% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $282 in Tunapuna. 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 in Nosara versus $75 in Tunapuna. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Nosara vs $320 in Tunapuna – so Tunapuna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇹 Tunapuna

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,758

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.134 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 TTD (1 TTD = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Tunapuna 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tunapuna

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 Tunapuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $991 in Tunapuna – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,486 in Tunapuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tunapuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $817 in Nosara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $75 in Tunapuna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,846 in Nosara and $991 in Tunapuna. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tunapuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.