Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,850 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,850

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,850 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $2,850
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,895 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $3,895
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,940 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $4,940
Nosara $3,790

Santa Fe, NM costs about 55% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Fe, NM and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Fe, NM by 111%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 $16.85

$12.38 ₡5,568

36.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$7.81 ₡3,513

26.38%

Cappuccino

$4.93 $4.93

$4.37 ₡1,966

12.81%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.78 ₡800

63.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.35 ₡605

71.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.39 ₡1,526

78.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.31 ₡1,939

60.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡699

-40.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.17 ₡1,425

0.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.51 ₡1,130

75.30%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$7.37 ₡3,313

59.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$10.46 ₡4,703

-10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 $16.97

$13.91 ₡6,255

22.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.26 ₡1,018

116.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.56 ₡701

-5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.70 ₡2,113

-17.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.62 ₡729

172.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.88 ₡1,746

-16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.79 ₡1,704

-46.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.07 ₡481

91.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.61 ₡1,174

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 $10.82

$5.16 ₡2,319

109.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.21 $16.21

$20.33 ₡9,143

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.91 ₡1,310

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.67 ₡1,651

-2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.31 ₡588

-25.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.07 $20.07

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-72.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.19 ₡984

59.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.84 ₡829

20.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.87 $34.87

$7.81 ₡3,513

346.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.56 ₡702

-30.77%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-19.66%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-33.41%

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

$160 $160

$95.9 ₡43.1K

66.47%

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

$44.85 $44.85

$35.37 ₡15.9K

26.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$53.7 ₡24.1K

28.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 $68.0

$67.5 ₡30.3K

0.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$7.72 ₡3,473

69.04%

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

$1,353 $1,353

$496 ₡222.8K

173.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K $22.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

90.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-1.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 $44.19

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-19.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 $79.0

$79.8 ₡35.9K

-1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡35.0K

49.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 $2,184

$817 ₡367.5K

167.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 $1,642

$800 ₡359.7K

105.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,929 $2,929

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-24.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,314 $2,314

$1,396 ₡627.6K

65.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,131 $6,131

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-12.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,761 $3,761

$1,222 ₡549.6K

207.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,862 $3,862

$879 ₡395.3K

339.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Fe, NM

$1.6K 57.6%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 51.3% $842

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.4%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 7.6% $29

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$289 10.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 26.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$273 9.6%

Nosara

$185 10% 32.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$132 4.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$94 3.3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 11.9% $11

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$39 1.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 133% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,184 in Santa Fe, NM versus $817 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 in Santa Fe, NM are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Santa Fe, NM versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in Santa Fe, NM vs $353 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Fe, NM Nosara 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe, NM
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 Fe, NM vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,850 in Santa Fe, NM, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,275 per month in Santa Fe, NM and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $2,184 in Santa Fe, NM.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Santa Fe, NM. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Santa Fe, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Fe, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.