Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Todos Santos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Todos Santos: $1,398 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Todos Santos
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Todos Santos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Todos Santos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Todos Santos vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Todos Santos $1,398
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,069 per month in Todos Santos vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Todos Santos $2,069
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,741 per month in Todos Santos vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Todos Santos $2,741
Nosara $3,814

Todos Santos is about 24% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Todos Santos and Nosara sit above the global median – Todos Santos by 3%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$203

$12.34 ₡5,535

-11.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 MX$824

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-27.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 MX$154

$7.76 ₡3,481

7.09%

Cappuccino

$3.54 MX$65.3

$4.44 ₡1,992

-20.27%

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

$1.41 MX$26.01

$1.79 ₡803

-21.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.67

$1.29 ₡580

-17.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 MX$45.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

-24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$4.43 ₡1,985

-6.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.55 ₡696

3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 MX$49.48

$3.08 ₡1,380

-12.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.44

$2.53 ₡1,133

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.72

$3.45 ₡1,546

-26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 MX$148

$7.32 ₡3,284

9.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.20 MX$151

$10.24 ₡4,594

-19.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 MX$210

$14.10 ₡6,326

-19.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$2.29 ₡1,027

23.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.97

$1.64 ₡737

-4.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.22

$4.79 ₡2,149

-60.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.86

$1.64 ₡735

11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$3.85 ₡1,727

-50.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.30

$3.75 ₡1,681

-52.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.92

$1.09 ₡488

33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$20.97

$2.59 ₡1,160

-56.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$5.12 ₡2,295

-15.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.44 MX$193

$19.92 ₡8,931

-47.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$32.31

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MX$59.8

$3.52 ₡1,580

-8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$1.22 ₡549

-48.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MX$47.63

$2.17 ₡973

18.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MX$35.96

$1.56 ₡698

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 MX$206

$8.67 ₡3,886

28.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.55 ₡697

-4.52%

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

$20.9K MX$386.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-39.45%

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

$23.7K MX$437.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-38.90%

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

$58.6 MX$1,082

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-38.25%

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

$23.08 MX$426

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-36.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$548

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-44.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.43 MX$636

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-53.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.26 MX$374

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MX$93.4

$7.91 ₡3,548

-36.16%

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

$217 MX$4,006

$490 ₡219.9K

-55.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,567 MX$84.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-61.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 MX$997

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 MX$749

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,853

$80.4 ₡36.0K

24.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 MX$1,666

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 MX$18.3K

$801 ₡359.1K

23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 MX$12.0K

$790 ₡354.1K

-17.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 MX$34.7K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-53.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-30.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MX$35.3K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-72.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,134 MX$20.9K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-8.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.62

31.09%

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

Last update for Todos Santos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Todos Santos

$650 46.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 21.6% $140

Groceries & Markets

Todos Santos

$264 18.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 32.5% $86

Eating Out

Todos Santos

$185 13.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 14.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Todos Santos

$128 9.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 5.6% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Todos Santos

$111 8%

Nosara

$184 10% 65.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Todos Santos

$45 3.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 101% $45

Getting Around

Todos Santos

$15 * 1.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 499% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Todos Santos versus $801 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 $45.00 in Todos Santos versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $350 – making Todos Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Todos Santos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

11:55 11:55 AM

1 h ahead of Todos Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,148

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 20, 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 20, 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

Todos Santos Nosara 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Todos Santos
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

Todos Santos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Todos Santos, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,097 per month in Todos Santos and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Todos Santos, 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 $45.00 in Todos Santos 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 33% 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 Todos Santos, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Todos Santos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Todos Santos has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,398 in Todos Santos to $1,835 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 Todos Santos. 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.