Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Arthur, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,568 in Port Arthur, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Port Arthur, TX
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Port Arthur, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Port Arthur, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,568 per month in Port Arthur, TX vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Arthur, TX $2,568
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,758 per month in Port Arthur, TX vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Arthur, TX $3,758
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,949 per month in Port Arthur, TX vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Arthur, TX $4,949
Nosara $3,818

Port Arthur, TX costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Port Arthur, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – Port Arthur, TX by 90%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.64 $18.64

$12.35 ₡5,539

50.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 $73.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

20.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.52 ₡3,373

47.87%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.41 ₡1,978

17.91%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.74 ₡780

44.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.31 ₡587

48.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

80.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$4.47 ₡2,004

54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ₡701

-36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.02 ₡1,355

18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.51 ₡1,125

68.53%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

13.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$7.43 ₡3,333

67.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

6.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.73 $15.73

$13.97 ₡6,265

12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.35 ₡1,052

102.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.61 ₡720

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$4.80 ₡2,152

-13.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.61 ₡724

195.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.80 ₡1,703

-27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.69 ₡1,657

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.13 ₡507

79.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-17.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 $9.33

$5.18 ₡2,321

80.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$19.88 ₡8,916

-28.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.63 ₡1,626

-8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.12 ₡504

83.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.14 ₡958

67.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.57 ₡703

4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.95 $28.95

$8.52 ₡3,823

239.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.52 ₡682

-40.79%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.96%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.48%

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

$189 $189

$96.3 ₡43.2K

96.26%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

46.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

27.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.58 $42.58

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 $13.44

$7.89 ₡3,539

70.34%

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

$1,320 $1,320

$494 ₡221.6K

167.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

94.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.65 $40.65

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$788 ₡353.4K

100.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 $1,346

$794 ₡356.2K

69.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 $2,623

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 $2,242

$1,419 ₡636.5K

57.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,486 $2,486

$1,224 ₡549.0K

103.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Port Arthur, TX: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Arthur, TX

$1.3K 52.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 41% $552

Groceries & Markets

Port Arthur, TX

$386 15%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Arthur, TX

$310 12.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 40% $124

Eating Out

Port Arthur, TX

$306 11.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Port Arthur, TX

$131 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Port Arthur, TX

$69 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.8% $18

Getting Around

Port Arthur, TX

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 336% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Port Arthur, TX 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Port Arthur, TX versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Port Arthur, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

1 h behind Port Arthur, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,135

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Arthur, TX Nosara 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Arthur, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,568 in Port Arthur, TX, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,852 per month in Port Arthur, TX 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 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 $74.0 in Port Arthur, TX 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 10% more in Port Arthur, TX, 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 $1,839, than in Port Arthur, TX at $2,568. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Arthur, 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,568 in Port Arthur, 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, Port Arthur, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.