Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarija and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarija: $440 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Tarija
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Tarija Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tarija

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$440

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $440 per month in Tarija vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Tarija $440
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $503 per month in Tarija vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Tarija $503
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $566 per month in Tarija vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Tarija $566
Nosara $3,712

Tarija is about 76% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tarija sits 67% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 BOB 26.88

$12.22 ₡5,509

-81.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.33 BOB 98.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-86.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 BOB 46.12

$7.54 ₡3,399

-48.01%

Cappuccino

$1.43 BOB 16.89

$4.31 ₡1,941

-66.82%

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

$1.03 BOB 12.10

$1.72 ₡773

-40.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 BOB 8.47

$1.35 ₡608

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 BOB 16.10

$3.24 ₡1,459

-57.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BOB 20.78

$4.48 ₡2,018

-60.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 BOB 5.65

$1.57 ₡707

-69.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BOB 9.49

$3.17 ₡1,429

-74.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.56 BOB 6.65

$2.42 ₡1,091

-76.86%

Eggs

$1.67 BOB 19.65

$3.57 ₡1,609

-53.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.33 BOB 39.17

$7.43 ₡3,349

-55.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 BOB 32.87

$10.42 ₡4,697

-73.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.05 BOB 47.61

$13.66 ₡6,156

-70.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 BOB 12.99

$1.61 ₡728

-31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.26 BOB 3.04

$1.10 ₡497

-76.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 BOB 9.49

$2.55 ₡1,149

-68.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$2.31 BOB 27.20

$20.01 ₡9,020

-88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 BOB 14.52

$2.79 ₡1,256

-55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 BOB 11.07

$3.53 ₡1,589

-73.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 BOB 2.15

$1.19 ₡537

-84.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 BOB 5.49

$2.24 ₡1,011

-79.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 BOB 6.65

$1.55 ₡701

-63.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 BOB 38.41

$8.86 ₡3,993

-63.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 BOB 7.13

$1.57 ₡708

-61.15%

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

$12.1K BOB 142.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-44.43%

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

$16.2K BOB 190.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-53.26%

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

$22.49 BOB 265

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-75.93%

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

$18.96 BOB 223

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-46.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.02 BOB 259

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-57.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.93 BOB 258

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-69.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.15 BOB 48.90

$7.84 ₡3,535

-47.07%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.55 BOB 324

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-48.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.98 BOB 376

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-59.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 BOB 2,528

$786 ₡354.3K

-72.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 BOB 1,921

$780 ₡351.6K

-79.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Tarija: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tarija

$163 37.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 378% $617

Groceries & Markets

Tarija

$88 * 20%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 298% $262

Eating Out

Tarija

$65 14.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 224% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarija

$63 14.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 184% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Tarija

$30 6.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 188% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Tarija

$27 * 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 349% $94

Getting Around

Tarija

$4 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2060% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Tarija 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 $8.00 in Tarija versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $88.0 vs $350 – making Tarija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Tarija

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

01:11 1:11 AM

2 h behind Tarija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,241

4,912

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.5 USD

100 BOB = 7.58 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.77 BOB (100 BOB = 8.5 USD). 1 EUR = 13.2 BOB (100 BOB = 7.58 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BOB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tarija Nosara 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarija
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

Tarija vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $440 in Tarija, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 318% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $660 per month in Tarija 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 Tarija, 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 $8.00 in Tarija and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $440 in Tarija and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 318%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tarija, where all-in costs run around $440, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Tarija 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 $440 in Tarija 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 Tarija. 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.