Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Show Low, AZ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,962 in Show Low, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Show Low, AZ
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Show Low, AZ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Show Low, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,962

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,962 per month in Show Low, AZ vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Show Low, AZ $2,962
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,019 per month in Show Low, AZ vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Show Low, AZ $4,019
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,075 per month in Show Low, AZ vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Show Low, AZ $5,075
Nosara $3,712

Show Low, AZ costs about 61% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Show Low, AZ and Nosara sit above the global median – Show Low, AZ by 121%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$12.22 ₡5,509

42.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

34.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.65 $18.65

$7.54 ₡3,399

147.35%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$4.31 ₡1,941

41.30%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$1.72 ₡773

98.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.35 ₡608

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.24 ₡1,459

82.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.48 ₡2,018

54.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.57 ₡707

-6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.17 ₡1,429

41.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.42 ₡1,091

82.23%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.57 ₡1,609

17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 $13.77

$7.43 ₡3,349

85.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$10.42 ₡4,697

10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.74 $15.74

$13.66 ₡6,156

15.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.32 ₡1,044

103.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.61 ₡728

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.74 ₡2,138

-10.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$1.66 ₡747

201.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.72 ₡1,679

-18.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.57 ₡1,611

-18.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.10 ₡497

80.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.55 ₡1,149

-12.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$4.95 ₡2,232

117.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.79 ₡1,256

-27.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.53 ₡1,589

-5.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.19 ₡537

77.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.24 ₡1,011

51.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.55 ₡701

1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 $32.81

$8.86 ₡3,993

270.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.57 ₡708

-30.57%

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

$32.7K $32.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

50.20%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-27.11%

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

$199 $199

$93.5 ₡42.1K

113.37%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

63.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.1 $99.1

$51.5 ₡23.2K

92.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.11 $44.11

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-38.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 $8.73

$7.84 ₡3,535

11.35%

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

$1,265 $1,265

$490 ₡220.7K

158.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

115.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.18 $49.18

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-8.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 $40.02

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-28.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

11.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$78.9 ₡35.6K

32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 $1,478

$786 ₡354.3K

88.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$780 ₡351.6K

107.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-36.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 $2,247

$1,407 ₡634.4K

59.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,881 $2,881

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-58.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,450 $2,450

$1,201 ₡541.3K

104.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Show Low, AZ: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Show Low, AZ

$1.6K 55.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 51.9% $840

Groceries & Markets

Show Low, AZ

$412 14.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 15.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Show Low, AZ

$356 12.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 49.4% $176

Eating Out

Show Low, AZ

$336 11.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 37.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Show Low, AZ

$127 4.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 5.1% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Show Low, AZ

$62 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.4% $26

Getting Around

Show Low, AZ

$20 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 341% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,478 in Show Low, AZ versus $786 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 $81.0 in Show Low, AZ versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Show Low, AZ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h ahead of Show Low, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,732

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Show Low, AZ Nosara 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Show Low, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,962 in Show Low, AZ, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,444 per month in Show Low, AZ and $2,756 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 $81.0 in Show Low, AZ and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Show Low, 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 $1,837, than in Show Low, AZ at $2,962. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Show Low, 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,962 in Show Low, 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, Show Low, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.