Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $831 per month in Tena vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Tena $831
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,425 per month in Tena vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Tena $1,425
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,018 per month in Tena vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Tena $2,018
Nosara $3,818

Tena is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tena sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 $6.03

$12.35 ₡5,539

-51.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 $54.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-10.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$7.52 ₡3,373

1.20%

Cappuccino

$3.39 $3.39

$4.41 ₡1,978

-23.13%

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

$1.38 $1.38

$1.74 ₡780

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.31 ₡587

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.28 ₡1,471

5.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.47 ₡2,004

36.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.56 ₡701

-26.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.85%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$3.57 ₡1,603

-39.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$7.43 ₡3,333

-13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$10.52 ₡4,717

-46.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$13.97 ₡6,265

-44.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.35 ₡1,052

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.61 ₡720

-26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$4.80 ₡2,152

-73.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.61 ₡724

-29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.13 ₡507

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.66 ₡1,191

-60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$5.18 ₡2,321

13.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-50.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.90 ₡1,300

-45.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.63 ₡1,626

-12.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.12 ₡504

-70.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.94 $16.94

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-76.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.14 ₡958

-29.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.57 ₡703

-51.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 $9.95

$8.52 ₡3,823

16.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.52 ₡682

-47.37%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.58%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.40%

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

$29.16 $29.16

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-69.72%

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

$17.66 $17.66

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 $28.72

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-46.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.43 $32.43

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-54.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.44 $15.44

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 $6.45

$7.89 ₡3,539

-18.25%

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

$226 $226

$494 ₡221.6K

-54.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,840 $8,840

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-25.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

29.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-9.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

46.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$79.6 ₡35.7K

33.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 $300

$788 ₡353.4K

-61.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$794 ₡356.2K

-76.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 $417

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-70.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,120 $1,120

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 $717

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-41.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

8.62

17.40%

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

Last update for Tena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$197 23.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 78.5% $155

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$186 22.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 328% $609

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$153 18.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.5% $33

Eating Out

Tena

$151 18.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$76 9.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 146% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$45 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 92.7% $42

Getting Around

Tena

$24 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 270% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $300 in Tena 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Tena versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $352 – making Tena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

1 h behind Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tena Nosara 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

Tena vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $831 in Tena, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,247 per month in Tena 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 Tena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 329% less in Tena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Tena and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tena 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 $831 in Tena 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 Tena. 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.