Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,137 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,137

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Piedras Negras and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Piedras Negras and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,137 per month in Piedras Negras vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Piedras Negras $1,137
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,838 per month in Piedras Negras vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Piedras Negras $1,838
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,539 per month in Piedras Negras vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Piedras Negras $2,539
Nosara $3,818

Piedras Negras is about 38% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Piedras Negras sits 16% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$205

$12.35 ₡5,539

-9.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 MX$824

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 MX$156

$7.52 ₡3,373

12.37%

Cappuccino

$3.63 MX$67.1

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.69%

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

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.74 ₡780

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.50

$1.31 ₡587

-23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 MX$46.72

$3.28 ₡1,471

-22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 MX$74.9

$4.47 ₡2,004

-9.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$30.69

$1.56 ₡701

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$46.83

$3.02 ₡1,355

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.52

$2.51 ₡1,125

-31.87%

Eggs

$2.45 MX$45.35

$3.57 ₡1,603

-31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$155

$7.43 ₡3,333

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 MX$150

$10.52 ₡4,717

-22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 MX$209

$13.97 ₡6,265

-19.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.34

$1.61 ₡720

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.68

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.61 ₡724

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.24

$3.69 ₡1,657

-51.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.36

$1.13 ₡507

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$2.66 ₡1,191

-59.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.1

$5.18 ₡2,321

-13.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 MX$196

$19.88 ₡8,916

-46.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MX$57.7

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.55

$1.12 ₡504

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.22

$2.14 ₡958

24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.56

$1.57 ₡703

43.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 MX$206

$8.52 ₡3,823

30.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.65

$1.52 ₡682

-12.50%

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

$20.8K MX$385.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-3.54%

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

$24.0K MX$443.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.40%

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

$49.75 MX$919

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-48.33%

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

$22.89 MX$423

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-36.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.83 MX$551

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-44.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 MX$636

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-51.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.06 MX$371

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 MX$98.0

$7.89 ₡3,539

-32.70%

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

$221 MX$4,089

$494 ₡221.6K

-55.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,069 MX$75.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-65.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,018

$53.9 ₡24.2K

2.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 MX$752

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,854

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 MX$1,675

$79.6 ₡35.7K

13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,263

$794 ₡356.2K

-50.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 MX$19.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 MX$14.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-45.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,876 MX$34.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,173 MX$21.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-4.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,618 MX$29.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

87.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.62

31.09%

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

Last update for Piedras Negras: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piedras Negras

$393 34.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 102% $401

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$263 23.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 33.9% $89

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$188 16.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 12.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$129 11.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.9% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$102 9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 81.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$45 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 94.1% $42

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$17 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 424% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $596 in Piedras Negras versus $788 in Nosara. 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 87% higher in Piedras Negras, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Piedras Negras versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $352 – making Piedras Negras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

1 h behind Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

4,912

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Piedras Negras Nosara 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Piedras Negras
Nosara

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

Piedras Negras vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,137 in Piedras Negras, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,706 per month in Piedras Negras and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 34% 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 Piedras Negras, where all-in costs run around $1,137, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Piedras Negras 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 $1,137 in Piedras Negras 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 Piedras Negras. 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.