Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Anna, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,579 in Santa Anna, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Santa Anna, TX
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Santa Anna, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Anna, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,579

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,579 per month in Santa Anna, TX vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Anna, TX $2,579
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,763 per month in Santa Anna, TX vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Anna, TX $3,763
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,948 per month in Santa Anna, TX vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Anna, TX $4,948
Nosara $3,814

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

Both Santa Anna, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Anna, TX by 90%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.09 $21.09

$12.34 ₡5,535

70.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 $82.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

34.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.76 ₡3,481

55.93%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.44 ₡1,992

17.12%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.79 ₡803

31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.29 ₡580

59.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.24 ₡1,451

72.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 $6.28

$4.43 ₡1,985

41.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡696

-32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.08 ₡1,380

17.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.53 ₡1,133

75.10%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$3.45 ₡1,546

23.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 $12.07

$7.32 ₡3,284

64.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$14.10 ₡6,326

22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.29 ₡1,027

101.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.64 ₡737

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$4.79 ₡2,149

-22.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.64 ₡735

195.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.85 ₡1,727

-28.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.75 ₡1,681

-22.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.09 ₡488

99.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.59 ₡1,160

-14.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$5.12 ₡2,295

95.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$19.92 ₡8,931

-26.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.52 ₡1,580

-5.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.22 ₡549

71.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.17 ₡973

61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.56 ₡698

27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.03 $31.03

$8.67 ₡3,886

257.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.55 ₡697

-37.42%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.94%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.74%

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

$200 $200

$94.8 ₡42.5K

110.85%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$36.15 ₡16.2K

61.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

30.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.34 $41.34

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 $14.24

$7.91 ₡3,548

80.03%

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

$1,373 $1,373

$490 ₡219.9K

179.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

101.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.26 $48.26

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-11.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.93 $38.93

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$801 ₡359.1K

97.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 $1,315

$790 ₡354.1K

66.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 $2,463

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-38.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 $2,121

$1,409 ₡632.0K

50.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 $2,447

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-65.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,236 ₡554.3K

76.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Santa Anna, TX: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Anna, TX

$1.3K 51%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.9% $525

Groceries & Markets

Santa Anna, TX

$392 15.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 10.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Anna, TX

$328 12.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.8% $144

Eating Out

Santa Anna, TX

$326 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 34.7% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Anna, TX

$127 4.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 4.8% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Anna, TX

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Santa Anna, TX

$22 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 307% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,578 in Santa Anna, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Santa Anna, 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

🇺🇸 Santa Anna, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Santa Anna, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Santa Anna, TX Nosara 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Anna, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,579 in Santa Anna, 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 $3,868 per month in Santa Anna, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Santa Anna, 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 12% more in Santa Anna, 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 $1,835, than in Santa Anna, TX at $2,579. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Anna, 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 $2,579 in Santa Anna, 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, Santa Anna, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.