Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,100 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,100

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,100 per month in Tepic vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Tepic $1,100
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,808 per month in Tepic vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Tepic $1,808
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Tepic vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Tepic $2,516
Nosara $3,818

Tepic is about 40% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tepic sits 18% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$249

$12.35 ₡5,539

8.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.40 MX$820

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$170

$7.52 ₡3,373

22.47%

Cappuccino

$3.24 MX$59.9

$4.41 ₡1,978

-26.53%

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

$1.73 MX$31.90

$1.74 ₡780

-0.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.64

$1.31 ₡587

-6.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.28 ₡1,471

-14.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MX$92.8

$4.47 ₡2,004

12.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.89

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 MX$45.20

$3.02 ₡1,355

-18.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.24

$2.51 ₡1,125

-32.67%

Eggs

$2.11 MX$38.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$7.43 ₡3,333

-34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$175

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 MX$216

$13.97 ₡6,265

-16.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MX$52.0

$2.35 ₡1,052

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.26

$1.61 ₡720

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.53

$4.80 ₡2,152

-58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.72

$1.61 ₡724

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.37

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.77

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.98

$1.13 ₡507

29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.83

$2.66 ₡1,191

-59.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.8

$5.18 ₡2,321

-17.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 MX$195

$19.88 ₡8,916

-46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.44

$2.90 ₡1,300

-73.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$62.1

$3.63 ₡1,626

-7.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MX$15.42

$1.12 ₡504

-25.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 MX$41.34

$2.14 ₡958

4.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 MX$24.65

$1.57 ₡703

-15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MX$222

$8.52 ₡3,823

41.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.52 ₡682

-5.92%

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

$21.2K MX$392.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.78%

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

$23.9K MX$441.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.80%

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

$44.05 MX$814

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-54.25%

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

$12.13 MX$224

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-66.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.94 MX$572

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-42.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.03 MX$629

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-52.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 MX$376

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-41.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 MX$122

$7.89 ₡3,539

-16.10%

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

$253 MX$4,676

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MX$198.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-9.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MX$1,105

$53.9 ₡24.2K

10.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.45 MX$729

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,998

$77.9 ₡34.9K

38.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.4 MX$1,542

$79.6 ₡35.7K

4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,568

$788 ₡353.4K

-34.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 MX$6,658

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 MX$19.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 MX$13.9K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-46.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 MX$33.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-73.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 MX$20.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-7.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 MX$12.1K

$864 ₡387.3K

-23.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.62

35.50%

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

Last update for Tepic: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tepic

$360 32.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 121% $434

Groceries & Markets

Tepic

$253 23%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 39.4% $100

Eating Out

Tepic

$210 19.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 0.9% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Tepic

$131 11.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tepic

$87 7.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 113% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Tepic

$47 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 84.8% $40

Getting Around

Tepic

$12 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 612% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Tepic 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.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Tepic versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $352 – making Tepic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tepic

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h ahead of Tepic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,387

4,912

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tepic Nosara 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tepic
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

Tepic vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,100 in Tepic, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,651 per month in Tepic 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 Tepic, 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 $44.00 in Tepic 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 39% 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 Tepic, where all-in costs run around $1,100, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tepic 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 $1,100 in Tepic 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 Tepic. 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.