Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuam and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,580 in Tuam, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Tuam
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Tuam Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tuam

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,580

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,580 per month in Tuam vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Tuam $2,580
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,675 per month in Tuam vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Tuam $3,675
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,770 per month in Tuam vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Tuam $4,770
Nosara $3,814

Tuam costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tuam and Nosara sit above the global median – Tuam by 90%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.76 €17.57

$12.34 ₡5,535

60.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 €54.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 €12.74

$7.76 ₡3,481

84.54%

Cappuccino

$4.47 €3.98

$4.44 ₡1,992

0.68%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.79 ₡803

63.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.29 ₡580

43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 €6.25

$3.24 ₡1,451

116.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$4.43 ₡1,985

48.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.55 ₡696

2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.08 ₡1,380

-25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.53 ₡1,133

-24.11%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.93

$3.45 ₡1,546

28.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 €9.14

$7.32 ₡3,284

40.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.75 €11.34

$10.24 ₡4,594

24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 €11.81

$14.10 ₡6,326

-5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.29 ₡1,027

33.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.64 ₡737

39.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$4.79 ₡2,149

-35.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 €4.30

$1.64 ₡735

195.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$3.85 ₡1,727

-49.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$3.75 ₡1,681

-60.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.09 ₡488

25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.59 ₡1,160

-20.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.29 €18.05

$5.12 ₡2,295

296.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.56 €12.06

$19.92 ₡8,931

-31.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 €3.09

$2.80 ₡1,255

23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.52 ₡1,580

-1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.22 ₡549

110.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.53

$2.17 ₡973

134.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.56 ₡698

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.68

$8.67 ₡3,886

284.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.55 ₡697

30.32%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.76%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-1.67%

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

$244 €217

$94.8 ₡42.5K

157.45%

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

$21.40 €19.04

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-40.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.72

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-5.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 €52.4

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 €11.72

$7.91 ₡3,548

66.62%

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

$1,009 €897

$490 ₡219.9K

105.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,119 €4,553

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-56.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €85.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

74.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.02 €37.38

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-24.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.7

$80.4 ₡36.0K

33.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

45.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 €1,431

$801 ₡359.1K

100.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$790 ₡354.1K

66.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 €1,860

$1,409 ₡632.0K

48.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,293 €2,929

$1,236 ₡554.3K

166.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

8.62

-51.97%

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

Last update for Tuam: 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

Tuam

$1.3K 51.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 40.1% $528

Groceries & Markets

Tuam

$355 13.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 1.4% $4.8

Eating Out

Tuam

$322 12.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 34% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tuam

$316 12.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 41.7% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Tuam

$161 6.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 25.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Tuam

$85 3.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 5.2% $4.4

Getting Around

Tuam

$23 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 284% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,609 in Tuam 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 $61.0 in Tuam versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $355 in Tuam vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Tuam

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

7 h behind Tuam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,647

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tuam Nosara 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tuam
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

Tuam vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,580 in Tuam, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,870 per month in Tuam 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 Nosara, 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 $61.0 in Tuam 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 1% more in Tuam, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Tuam at $2,580. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tuam 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,580 in Tuam. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tuam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.