Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taos, NM and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,778 in Taos, NM, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Taos, NM
Learn more

Taos, NM Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Taos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,778

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,778 per month in Taos, NM vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Taos, NM $2,778
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Taos, NM vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Taos, NM $4,133
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $5,489 per month in Taos, NM vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Taos, NM $5,489
Nosara $3,790

Taos, NM costs about 51% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Taos, NM and Nosara sit above the global median – Taos, NM by 105%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 $17.53

$12.38 ₡5,568

41.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-1.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 $9.57

$7.81 ₡3,513

22.54%

Cappuccino

$3.97 $3.97

$4.37 ₡1,966

-9.15%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.78 ₡800

29.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.35 ₡605

61.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.39 ₡1,526

50.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.31 ₡1,939

28.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.55 ₡699

-45.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.17 ₡1,425

-6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.51 ₡1,130

73.31%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$3.53 ₡1,585

8.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$7.37 ₡3,313

63.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 $9.33

$10.46 ₡4,703

-10.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$13.91 ₡6,255

-20.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.26 ₡1,018

103.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.56 ₡701

-6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$4.70 ₡2,113

-9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.62 ₡729

213.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.88 ₡1,746

-17.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.79 ₡1,704

-11.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.07 ₡481

90.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.61 ₡1,174

-3.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$5.16 ₡2,319

115.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 $13.81

$20.33 ₡9,143

-32.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.91 ₡1,310

-14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.67 ₡1,651

-10.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.19 ₡984

84.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.84 ₡829

16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.71 $34.71

$7.81 ₡3,513

344.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.56 ₡702

-42.31%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-11.71%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-33.07%

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

$156 $156

$95.9 ₡43.1K

62.96%

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

$63.5 $63.5

$35.37 ₡15.9K

79.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 $63.9

$53.7 ₡24.1K

18.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 $94.2

$67.5 ₡30.3K

39.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 $8.87

$7.72 ₡3,473

14.90%

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

$1,357 $1,357

$496 ₡222.8K

173.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

99.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 $54.6

$54.6 ₡24.6K

0.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.64 $43.64

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-20.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$79.8 ₡35.9K

32.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$77.9 ₡35.0K

52.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 $1,788

$817 ₡367.5K

118.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$800 ₡359.7K

98.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,592 $3,592

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-7.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,899 $2,899

$1,396 ₡627.6K

107.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 $3,762

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-46.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,820 $3,820

$1,222 ₡549.6K

212.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,660 $2,660

$879 ₡395.3K

202.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

8.62

-26.91%

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

Last update for Taos, NM: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taos, NM

$1.6K 57.2%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 49.6% $788

Groceries & Markets

Taos, NM

$362 13.1%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 2.7% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taos, NM

$284 10.2%

Nosara

$185 10% 34.8% $99

Eating Out

Taos, NM

$271 9.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 21.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Taos, NM

$145 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Taos, NM

$112 4%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 25.9% $29

Getting Around

Taos, NM

$15 * 0.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 511% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,788 in Taos, 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 Taos, NM are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Taos, NM versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Taos, NM vs $353 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Taos, NM

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

1 h ahead of Taos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taos, NM Nosara 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Taos, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,778 in Taos, NM, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,167 per month in Taos, 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 $1,788 in Taos, NM.

Kindergarten costs $1,357 per month in Taos, NM and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,778 in Taos, NM and $1,844 in Nosara. That makes Nosara about 34% cheaper.

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, Taos, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.