Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tomar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tomar: $1,295 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tomar
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,295
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,295 per month in Tomar vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tomar $1,295
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Tomar vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tomar $1,821
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,347 per month in Tomar vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tomar $2,347
  • Nosara $3,818

Tomar is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tomar sits 4% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 €11.89
$12.35 ₡5,539
8.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.89 €33.71
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-38.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.69 €7.73
$7.52 ₡3,373
15.56%
Cappuccino
$1.88 €1.67
$4.41 ₡1,978
-57.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.74 ₡780
2.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.27
$1.31 ₡587
8.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 €2.01
$3.28 ₡1,471
-31.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 €2.24
$4.47 ₡2,004
-43.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.56 ₡701
-30.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 €1.57
$3.02 ₡1,355
-41.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 €1.25
$2.51 ₡1,125
-43.82%
Eggs
$2.72 €2.42
$3.57 ₡1,603
-23.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.80 €11.39
$7.43 ₡3,333
72.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.50 €5.78
$10.52 ₡4,717
-38.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.31 €12.73
$13.97 ₡6,265
2.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 €1.69
$2.35 ₡1,052
-18.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.61 ₡720
-12.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$4.80 ₡2,152
-61.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 €2.23
$1.61 ₡724
55.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.63
$3.80 ₡1,703
-51.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 €1.01
$3.69 ₡1,657
-69.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.36
$1.13 ₡507
35.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 €1.01
$2.66 ₡1,191
-57.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.88 €6.12
$5.18 ₡2,321
32.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.56 €4.05
$19.88 ₡8,916
-77.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.20
$2.90 ₡1,300
-53.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 €1.96
$3.63 ₡1,626
-39.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.01 €1.79
$1.12 ₡504
79.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.43 €33.29
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-48.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.34 €3.86
$2.14 ₡958
102.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$1.57 ₡703
-5.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.77 €18.48
$8.52 ₡3,823
143.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.52 ₡682
19.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.9K €28.3K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
47.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.0K €33.8K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
10.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 €94.5
$96.3 ₡43.2K
10.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.23 €15.33
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-51.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.90 €38.16
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-19.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.15 €36.61
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-42.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.73 €15.77
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-49.21%
Cinema Ticket
$9.16 €8.15
$7.89 ₡3,539
16.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$311 €277
$494 ₡221.6K
-37.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,305 €5,608
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-46.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.3 €59.0
$53.9 ₡24.2K
22.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.12 €31.24
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-36.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.5 €66.3
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-4.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.3 €80.3
$79.6 ₡35.7K
13.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$757 €673
$788 ₡353.4K
-3.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$463 €412
$794 ₡356.2K
-41.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$907 €807
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-76.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$502 €447
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-64.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,038 €2,702
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-56.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,257 €2,008
$1,224 ₡549.0K
84.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tomar
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,077 €958
$864 ₡387.3K
24.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.7
8.62
-57.08%

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

Last update for Tomar: 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
Tomar
$463
Nosara
$794 71.6% $331
Groceries & Markets
Tomar
$245
Nosara
$352 44.1% $108
Eating Out
Tomar
$185
Nosara
$212 14.7% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tomar
$166
Nosara
$186 11.7% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Tomar
$120
Nosara
$120 0.2% $0.3
Sport & Entertainment
Tomar
$59
Nosara
$87 46.9% $28
Getting Around
Tomar
$57
Nosara
$87 52.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $757 in Tomar 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 25% higher in Tomar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tomar versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $352 – making Tomar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Tomar
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
01:50 1:50 AM
18:50 6:50 PM
7 h behind Tomar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,414
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tomar Nosara 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tomar
  • 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
Tomar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tomar and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,295 in Tomar, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Tomar compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,943 per month in Tomar and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tomar and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tomar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Tomar and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 94% less in Tomar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tomar and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $311 per month in Tomar and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tomar, where all-in costs run around $1,295, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tomar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Tomar and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,295 in Tomar to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tomar or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Tomar and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Tomar. 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.

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