Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plano, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,597 in Plano, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Plano, TX
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Plano, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Plano, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plano, TX 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 Plano, TX and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,597 per month in Plano, TX vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Plano, TX $2,597
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,016 per month in Plano, TX vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Plano, TX $4,016
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,435 per month in Plano, TX vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Plano, TX $5,435
Nosara $3,814

Plano, TX costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Plano, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – Plano, TX by 92%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 $19.95

$12.34 ₡5,535

61.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

25.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$7.76 ₡3,481

31.31%

Cappuccino

$5.51 $5.51

$4.44 ₡1,992

24.10%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.79 ₡803

48.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.29 ₡580

82.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.24 ₡1,451

109.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$4.43 ₡1,985

72.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡696

-38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.08 ₡1,380

4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.53 ₡1,133

90.91%

Eggs

$4.81 $4.81

$3.45 ₡1,546

39.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$7.32 ₡3,284

81.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$10.24 ₡4,594

10.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 $18.73

$14.10 ₡6,326

32.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.29 ₡1,027

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.64 ₡737

-5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$4.79 ₡2,149

-41.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.64 ₡735

84.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.85 ₡1,727

-39.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.75 ₡1,681

-33.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.09 ₡488

76.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.59 ₡1,160

9.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.21 $10.21

$5.12 ₡2,295

99.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 $15.91

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.80 ₡1,255

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.52 ₡1,580

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.22 ₡549

277.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$73.9 ₡33.1K

43.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.17 ₡973

34.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.56 ₡698

10.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.92 $14.92

$8.67 ₡3,886

72.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡697

-40.65%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.49%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.26%

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

$194 $194

$94.8 ₡42.5K

104.29%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$36.15 ₡16.2K

30.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.7 $54.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

3.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.8 $91.8

$73.8 ₡33.1K

24.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.93 $3.93

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-88.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 $15.01

$7.91 ₡3,548

89.76%

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

$1,312 $1,312

$490 ₡219.9K

167.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K $24.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

104.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

6.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 $37.94

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-32.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 $68.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,550 $1,550

$801 ₡359.1K

93.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 $1,212

$790 ₡354.1K

53.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,748 $2,748

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-31.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,374 $2,374

$1,409 ₡632.0K

68.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,365 $2,365

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-66.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,423 $2,423

$1,236 ₡554.3K

96.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,756 $5,756

$887 ₡397.6K

549.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Plano, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plano, TX

$1.2K 46.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 34.9% $423

Groceries & Markets

Plano, TX

$392 15.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 10.7% $42

Eating Out

Plano, TX

$326 12.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 34.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plano, TX

$296 11.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 37.7% $112

Getting Around

Plano, TX

$136 5.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 34.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Plano, TX

$122 4.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Plano, TX

$113 4.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.7% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,550 in Plano, TX versus $801 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 549% higher in Plano, TX, 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 $77.0 in Plano, TX versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Plano, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h behind Plano, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

288,253

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Plano, TX Nosara 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Plano, TX
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

Plano, TX vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,597 in Plano, TX, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,895 per month in Plano, TX and $2,753 in Nosara. 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.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,312 per month in Plano, TX and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Plano, TX at $2,597. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plano, TX 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 $2,597 in Plano, TX. 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, Plano, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.