Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toa Alta and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Toa Alta: $1,234 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Toa Alta
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Toa Alta Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Toa Alta

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,234

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,234 per month in Toa Alta vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Toa Alta $1,234
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,933 per month in Toa Alta vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Toa Alta $1,933
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,633 per month in Toa Alta vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Toa Alta $2,633
Nosara $3,818

Toa Alta is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Toa Alta sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.77 $12.77

$12.35 ₡5,539

3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 $82.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

34.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 $8.97

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.28%

Cappuccino

$3.47 $3.47

$4.41 ₡1,978

-21.32%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$1.74 ₡780

-11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.31 ₡587

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.47 ₡2,004

13.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.56 ₡701

42.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.02 ₡1,355

16.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

-4.38%

Eggs

$5.14 $5.14

$3.57 ₡1,603

43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$7.43 ₡3,333

-31.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 $9.68

$10.52 ₡4,717

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$13.97 ₡6,265

-54.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.35 ₡1,052

114.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.61 ₡720

65.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.61 ₡724

192.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.80 ₡1,703

-1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.69 ₡1,657

7.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.13 ₡507

197.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.66 ₡1,191

-40.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.84 $11.84

$5.18 ₡2,321

128.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.90 ₡1,300

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.63 ₡1,626

8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.14 ₡958

14.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.57 ₡703

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.49 $42.49

$8.52 ₡3,823

398.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

86.71%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.75%

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

$317 $317

$96.3 ₡43.2K

228.99%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

96.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

29.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 $27.67

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-61.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 $10.35

$7.89 ₡3,539

31.18%

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

$836 $836

$494 ₡221.6K

69.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 $56.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 $61.3

$55.4 ₡24.8K

10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$79.6 ₡35.7K

40.87%

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 %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Toa Alta: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toa Alta

$456 37%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.3% $271

Groceries & Markets

Toa Alta

$359 29.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.9% $6.7

Eating Out

Toa Alta

$208 16.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 2.1% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Toa Alta

$153 12.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Toa Alta

$48 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 80.6% $39

Getting Around

Toa Alta

$9.8 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 785% $77

Accommodation & Living

Toa Alta

- * 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 $82.0 in Toa Alta versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Toa Alta

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

2 h behind Toa Alta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Toa Alta Nosara 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toa Alta
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

Toa Alta vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,234 in Toa Alta, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,851 per month in Toa Alta 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 $82.0 in Toa Alta and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toa Alta, where all-in costs run around $1,234, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Toa Alta 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 $1,234 in Toa Alta 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 Toa Alta. 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.