Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,305 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $1,305
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,606 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $3,606
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,906 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $5,906
Nosara $3,712

Surprise, AZ is about 29% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surprise, AZ sits 3% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$12.22 ₡5,509

65.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

39.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$7.54 ₡3,399

70.29%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$4.31 ₡1,941

39.44%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.72 ₡773

54.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.35 ₡608

82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.24 ₡1,459

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$4.48 ₡2,018

81.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡707

-36.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.17 ₡1,429

11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.42 ₡1,091

114.46%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$3.57 ₡1,609

32.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$7.43 ₡3,349

80.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$10.42 ₡4,697

8.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$13.66 ₡6,156

8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.32 ₡1,044

98.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.61 ₡728

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.74 ₡2,138

-18.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.66 ₡747

153.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.72 ₡1,679

-31.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.57 ₡1,611

-19.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.10 ₡497

93.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.55 ₡1,149

-14.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$4.95 ₡2,232

115.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$20.01 ₡9,020

-31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.79 ₡1,256

-10.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.53 ₡1,589

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.24 ₡1,011

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.55 ₡701

-9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.86 ₡3,993

298.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.57 ₡708

-28.03%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

68.46%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.95%

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

$197 $197

$93.5 ₡42.1K

110.78%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

78.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$51.5 ₡23.2K

43.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-14.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 $13.16

$7.84 ₡3,535

67.86%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$490 ₡220.7K

122.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

31.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

4.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-20.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

25.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$78.9 ₡35.6K

46.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 $3,030

$1,407 ₡634.4K

115.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 $1,591

$1,201 ₡541.3K

32.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$876 ₡395.0K

381.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

8.62

-25.29%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 10.8% $42

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 39.3% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 46% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0% $0

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 784% $77

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 382% higher in Surprise, AZ, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

1 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 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

Surprise, AZ Nosara 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,305 in Surprise, AZ, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,958 per month in Surprise, AZ and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surprise, AZ, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Surprise, AZ it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,305 in Surprise, AZ to $1,837 in Nosara. 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 Surprise, AZ. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.