Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,361 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $2,361
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,510 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $3,510
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $4,658
Nosara $3,818

San Marcos, TX costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Marcos, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – San Marcos, TX by 75%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$12.35 ₡5,539

21.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-1.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$7.52 ₡3,373

56.91%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$4.41 ₡1,978

7.03%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.74 ₡780

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.31 ₡587

32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.28 ₡1,471

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 $6.11

$4.47 ₡2,004

36.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.56 ₡701

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.02 ₡1,355

5.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.51 ₡1,125

49.00%

Eggs

$2.77 $2.77

$3.57 ₡1,603

-22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.43 ₡3,333

35.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$10.52 ₡4,717

-6.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$13.97 ₡6,265

-7.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.35 ₡1,052

164.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.61 ₡720

-29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$4.80 ₡2,152

37.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.61 ₡724

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.80 ₡1,703

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.69 ₡1,657

-20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.13 ₡507

61.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.66 ₡1,191

-32.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$5.18 ₡2,321

63.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 $13.93

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.63 ₡1,626

8.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.14 ₡958

113.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.57 ₡703

15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 $59.5

$8.52 ₡3,823

598.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.52 ₡682

-46.71%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.80%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.51%

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

$134 $134

$96.3 ₡43.2K

39.18%

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

$40.38 $40.38

$35.89 ₡16.1K

12.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 $55.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

4.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 $68.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-3.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 $11.32

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.47%

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

$665 $665

$494 ₡221.6K

34.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

49.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.15 $38.15

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 $83.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$79.6 ₡35.7K

53.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$788 ₡353.4K

71.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$794 ₡356.2K

58.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 $2,855

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-27.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,419 ₡636.5K

55.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,463 $2,463

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-64.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 $1,874

$1,224 ₡549.0K

53.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,143 $3,143

$864 ₡387.3K

263.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for San Marcos, TX: 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

San Marcos, TX

$1.3K 53.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 36.8% $463

Groceries & Markets

San Marcos, TX

$363 15.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3% $11

Eating Out

San Marcos, TX

$268 11.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Marcos, TX

$230 9.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 19.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.6% $4.2

Getting Around

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 537% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in San Marcos, 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.

Salaries run about 264% higher in San Marcos, 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 $60.0 in San Marcos, TX versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in San Marcos, TX vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h behind San Marcos, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,894

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

San Marcos, TX Nosara 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Marcos, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,541 per month in San Marcos, 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 $60.0 in San Marcos, 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 3% more in San Marcos, 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 San Marcos, TX at $2,361. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Marcos, 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 $2,361 in San Marcos, 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, San Marcos, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.