Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacarigua and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacarigua: $767 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Tacarigua
Learn more

Tacarigua Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Tacarigua

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$767

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $767 per month in Tacarigua vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Tacarigua $767
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,315 per month in Tacarigua vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Tacarigua $1,315
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,863 per month in Tacarigua vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Tacarigua $1,863
Nosara $3,818

Tacarigua is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tacarigua sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 TTD 69.0

$12.35 ₡5,539

-16.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 TTD 402

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-2.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 TTD 54.3

$7.52 ₡3,373

7.45%

Cappuccino

$3.71 TTD 24.93

$4.41 ₡1,978

-15.87%

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

$1.01 TTD 6.77

$1.74 ₡780

-41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 TTD 4.91

$1.31 ₡587

-44.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 TTD 12.21

$3.28 ₡1,471

-44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 TTD 17.47

$4.47 ₡2,004

-41.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 TTD 13.32

$1.56 ₡701

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 TTD 15.18

$3.02 ₡1,355

-25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 TTD 19.28

$2.51 ₡1,125

14.34%

Eggs

$3.79 TTD 25.46

$3.57 ₡1,603

6.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 TTD 45.63

$7.43 ₡3,333

-8.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 TTD 67.0

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.83 TTD 59.4

$13.97 ₡6,265

-36.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 TTD 37.32

$2.35 ₡1,052

136.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 TTD 16.76

$1.61 ₡720

54.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 TTD 24.20

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 TTD 29.52

$1.61 ₡724

172.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 TTD 4.90

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.78

$3.69 ₡1,657

-80.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 TTD 9.79

$1.13 ₡507

29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 TTD 8.04

$2.66 ₡1,191

-55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 TTD 38.85

$5.18 ₡2,321

11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 TTD 120

$19.88 ₡8,916

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 TTD 10.10

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 TTD 19.87

$3.63 ₡1,626

-18.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 TTD 6.08

$2.14 ₡958

-57.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 TTD 5.86

$1.57 ₡703

-44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 TTD 99.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

72.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 TTD 7.53

$1.52 ₡682

-26.32%

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

$36.9K TTD 248.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.76%

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

$41.7K TTD 280.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

20.82%

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

$44.72 TTD 301

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-53.56%

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

$42.53 TTD 286

$35.89 ₡16.1K

18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.56 TTD 306

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-14.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.02 TTD 60.7

$7.89 ₡3,539

14.32%

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

$395 TTD 2,656

$494 ₡221.6K

-20.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-8.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 TTD 365

$53.9 ₡24.2K

0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 TTD 249

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 TTD 592

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 TTD 604

$79.6 ₡35.7K

12.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

8.62

-33.29%

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

Last update for Tacarigua: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tacarigua

$318 41.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.9% $35

Eating Out

Tacarigua

$172 22.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tacarigua

$133 17.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tacarigua

$121 15.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Tacarigua

$18 * 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 384% $69

Getting Around

Tacarigua

$5.3 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1556% $82

Accommodation & Living

Tacarigua

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Tacarigua versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $352 – making Tacarigua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tacarigua

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

2 h behind Tacarigua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,067

4,912

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tacarigua Nosara 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tacarigua
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

Tacarigua vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $767 in Tacarigua, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 140% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,150 per month in Tacarigua and $2,758 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 $60.0 in Tacarigua 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 11% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tacarigua, where all-in costs run around $767, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tacarigua 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 $767 in Tacarigua to $1,839 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 Tacarigua. 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.