Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tucson, AZ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,394 in Tucson, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tucson, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,394 per month in Tucson, AZ vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Tucson, AZ $2,394
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,411 per month in Tucson, AZ vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Tucson, AZ $3,411
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,429 per month in Tucson, AZ vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Tucson, AZ $4,429
Nosara $3,712

Tucson, AZ costs about 30% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tucson, AZ and Nosara sit above the global median – Tucson, AZ by 79%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.42 $19.42

$12.22 ₡5,509

58.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

31.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.06 $13.06

$7.54 ₡3,399

73.21%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$4.31 ₡1,941

23.90%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.72 ₡773

55.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.35 ₡608

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.24 ₡1,459

114.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 $7.42

$4.48 ₡2,018

65.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡707

-36.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.17 ₡1,429

6.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.42 ₡1,091

108.68%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$3.57 ₡1,609

33.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$7.43 ₡3,349

83.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$10.42 ₡4,697

7.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 $17.16

$13.66 ₡6,156

25.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.32 ₡1,044

93.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.61 ₡728

19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.74 ₡2,138

-18.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.66 ₡747

151.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.72 ₡1,679

-31.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.57 ₡1,611

-18.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.10 ₡497

92.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.55 ₡1,149

-15.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.63 $10.63

$4.95 ₡2,232

114.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 $13.69

$20.01 ₡9,020

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.79 ₡1,256

-12.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.53 ₡1,589

6.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.24 ₡1,011

25.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.55 ₡701

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.74 $35.74

$8.86 ₡3,993

303.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 ₡708

-28.66%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

68.09%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-25.02%

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

$196 $196

$93.5 ₡42.1K

110.10%

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

$61.9 $61.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

76.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.0 $75.0

$51.5 ₡23.2K

45.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 $36.79

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-48.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.81 $9.81

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-72.32%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 $13.23

$7.84 ₡3,535

68.75%

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

$1,096 $1,096

$490 ₡220.7K

123.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

31.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$53.5 ₡24.1K

4.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$78.9 ₡35.6K

45.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$786 ₡354.3K

77.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 $1,074

$780 ₡351.6K

37.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 $1,655

$1,407 ₡634.4K

17.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,436 $3,436

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-50.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,576 $2,576

$1,201 ₡541.3K

114.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,250 $4,250

$876 ₡395.0K

385.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

8.62

-25.29%

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

Last update for Tucson, AZ: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tucson, AZ

$1.1K 45.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 27.4% $294

Groceries & Markets

Tucson, AZ

$397 16.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 11.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tucson, AZ

$333 14.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 46% $153

Eating Out

Tucson, AZ

$328 14%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 36.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Tucson, AZ

$142 6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tucson, AZ

$63 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.7% $24

Getting Around

Tucson, AZ

$9.6 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 808% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,394 in Tucson, AZ versus $786 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 385% higher in Tucson, AZ, 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 $79.0 in Tucson, AZ versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tucson, AZ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h ahead of Tucson, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,116

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tucson, AZ Nosara 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tucson, AZ
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

Tucson, AZ vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,394 in Tucson, AZ, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,590 per month in Tucson, AZ and $2,756 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 $79.0 in Tucson, AZ and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Tucson, AZ, 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 $1,837, than in Tucson, AZ at $2,394. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tucson, AZ 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,394 in Tucson, AZ. 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, Tucson, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.