Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prescott, AZ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,700 in Prescott, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Prescott, AZ
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Prescott, AZ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Prescott, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,700

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,700 per month in Prescott, AZ vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Prescott, AZ $2,700
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,713 per month in Prescott, AZ vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Prescott, AZ $3,713
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,725 per month in Prescott, AZ vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Prescott, AZ $4,725
Nosara $3,814

Prescott, AZ costs about 47% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Prescott, AZ and Nosara sit above the global median – Prescott, AZ by 99%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.46 $17.46

$12.34 ₡5,535

41.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 $73.0

$61.3 ₡27.5K

18.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 $12.79

$7.76 ₡3,481

64.82%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$4.44 ₡1,992

20.27%

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

$1.72 $1.72

$1.79 ₡803

-3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.29 ₡580

29.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 $6.59

$3.24 ₡1,451

103.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 $7.42

$4.43 ₡1,985

67.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡696

-38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.08 ₡1,380

5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.53 ₡1,133

96.44%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$3.45 ₡1,546

36.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 $13.77

$7.32 ₡3,284

88.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.43 $11.43

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$14.10 ₡6,326

20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.29 ₡1,027

92.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.64 ₡737

-23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.79 ₡2,149

-18.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.64 ₡735

131.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.75 ₡1,681

-21.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.09 ₡488

91.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.59 ₡1,160

-17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 $10.99

$5.12 ₡2,295

114.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 $12.93

$19.92 ₡8,931

-35.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.80 ₡1,255

-39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.52 ₡1,580

2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.17 ₡973

23.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡698

-14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.82 $35.82

$8.67 ₡3,886

313.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

4.18%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.95%

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

$195 $195

$94.8 ₡42.5K

105.62%

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

$48.50 $48.50

$36.15 ₡16.2K

34.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$53.1 ₡23.8K

41.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 $50.7

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-31.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 $12.57

$7.91 ₡3,548

58.91%

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

$369 $369

$490 ₡219.9K

-24.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

29.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

2.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.35 $43.35

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-22.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 $82.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$77.9 ₡34.9K

43.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$801 ₡359.1K

72.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 $1,478

$790 ₡354.1K

87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,436 $2,436

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-39.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 $2,039

$1,409 ₡632.0K

44.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,387 $4,387

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-37.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,715 $3,715

$1,236 ₡554.3K

200.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,946 $3,946

$887 ₡397.6K

345.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.22

8.62

-27.84%

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

Last update for Prescott, AZ: 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

Prescott, AZ

$1.5K 54.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 46.6% $688

Groceries & Markets

Prescott, AZ

$383 14.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 8.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Prescott, AZ

$318 11.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 42.2% $134

Eating Out

Prescott, AZ

$303 11.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 29.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Prescott, AZ

$132 4.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Prescott, AZ

$76 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.2% $14

Getting Around

Prescott, AZ

$9.4 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 844% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,380 in Prescott, AZ 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 345% higher in Prescott, AZ, 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 $73.0 in Prescott, AZ versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Prescott, AZ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

1 h ahead of Prescott, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,827

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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Between locations

Prescott, AZ Nosara 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Prescott, AZ
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

Prescott, AZ vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,700 in Prescott, AZ, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,050 per month in Prescott, AZ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Prescott, AZ 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 Prescott, AZ, 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 Prescott, AZ at $2,700. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Prescott, AZ 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 $2,700 in Prescott, AZ. 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, Prescott, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.