Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $30,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

213

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
Learn more

St Thomas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,408 per month in St Thomas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

St Thomas $4,408
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $7,220 per month in St Thomas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

St Thomas $7,220
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $10.0K per month in St Thomas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

St Thomas $10.0K
Nosara $3,818

St Thomas costs about 140% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St Thomas and Nosara sit above the global median – St Thomas by 227%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$170 $170

$61.2 ₡27.4K

178.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 $13.55

$7.52 ₡3,373

80.19%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$4.41 ₡1,978

33.79%

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

$3.95 $3.95

$1.74 ₡780

127.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.31 ₡587

158.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.28 ₡1,471

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.47 ₡2,004

52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.56 ₡701

84.62%

White Bread (500g)

$6.67 $6.67

$3.02 ₡1,355

120.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.54 $18.54

$2.51 ₡1,125

638.65%

Eggs

$8.87 $8.87

$3.57 ₡1,603

148.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.43 ₡3,333

49.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.44 $28.44

$10.52 ₡4,717

170.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.72 $39.72

$13.97 ₡6,265

184.32%

Apples (1kg)

$11.91 $11.91

$2.35 ₡1,052

406.81%

Banana (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$1.61 ₡720

576.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$4.80 ₡2,152

156.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$19.99 $19.99

$1.61 ₡724

1141.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.68%

Onion (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$3.69 ₡1,657

137.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.18 $8.18

$1.13 ₡507

623.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.66 ₡1,191

102.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$24.57 $24.57

$19.88 ₡8,916

23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.63 ₡1,626

70.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡504

76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-16.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$2.14 ₡958

816.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.57 ₡703

96.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.52 ₡682

-8.55%

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

$55.2K $55.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

155.36%

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

$49.0K $49.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

41.92%

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

$451 $451

$96.3 ₡43.2K

368.12%

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

$100 $100

$35.89 ₡16.1K

179.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$151 $151

$53.6 ₡24.0K

182.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$164 $164

$71.6 ₡32.1K

129.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 $10.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

27.25%

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

$1,487 $1,487

$494 ₡221.6K

200.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

84.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 $113

$53.9 ₡24.2K

109.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$148 $148

$55.4 ₡24.8K

166.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$202 $202

$77.9 ₡34.9K

159.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$79.6 ₡35.7K

90.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$788 ₡353.4K

101.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$794 ₡356.2K

130.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,187 $3,187

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-19.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,229 $4,229

$1,419 ₡636.5K

197.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,896 $4,896

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-29.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

790.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 $2,726

$864 ₡387.3K

215.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

8.62

9.63%

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

Last update for St Thomas: 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

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 56.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 63.2% $604

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Thomas

$702 15.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 73.6% $517

Eating Out

St Thomas

$358 8.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.9% $147

Clothing & Footwear

St Thomas

$276 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 56.6% $156

Sport & Entertainment

St Thomas

$184 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 52.5% $97

Getting Around

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15.9% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in St Thomas 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 216% higher in St Thomas, 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 $170 in St Thomas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $956 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

2 h behind St Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St Thomas Nosara 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

St Thomas
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

St Thomas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,408 in St Thomas, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 140% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,612 per month in St Thomas 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.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,487 per month in St Thomas and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in St Thomas at $4,408. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Thomas 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 $4,408 in St Thomas. 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, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.