Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tunapuna and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunapuna: $991 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tunapuna
Learn more

Tunapuna Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Tunapuna

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$991

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $991 per month in Tunapuna vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Tunapuna $991
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $1,746 per month in Tunapuna vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Tunapuna $1,746
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,502 per month in Tunapuna vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Tunapuna $2,502
Nosara $3,820

Tunapuna is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tunapuna sits 27% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.21 TTD 68.6

$12.36 ₡5,575

-17.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 TTD 505

$60.8 ₡27.4K

23.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 TTD 54.0

$7.88 ₡3,557

2.16%

Cappuccino

$3.81 TTD 25.59

$4.40 ₡1,986

-13.41%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.65

$1.72 ₡776

-42.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 TTD 4.77

$1.34 ₡603

-47.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 TTD 12.16

$3.34 ₡1,505

-45.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 TTD 19.56

$4.54 ₡2,048

-35.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 TTD 14.04

$1.64 ₡739

27.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 TTD 15.09

$3.16 ₡1,426

-28.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 TTD 19.30

$2.39 ₡1,080

20.08%

Eggs

$3.73 TTD 25.02

$3.47 ₡1,564

7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 TTD 43.47

$7.13 ₡3,217

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 TTD 67.5

$10.32 ₡4,655

-2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 TTD 60.6

$13.97 ₡6,302

-35.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 TTD 36.67

$2.29 ₡1,031

138.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 TTD 17.06

$1.62 ₡731

56.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 TTD 24.51

$4.81 ₡2,169

-24.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 TTD 27.98

$1.68 ₡758

148.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$3.91 ₡1,765

-80.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.80

$3.63 ₡1,640

-80.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 TTD 9.85

$1.13 ₡509

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 TTD 7.72

$2.63 ₡1,188

-56.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 TTD 35.61

$5.02 ₡2,267

5.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.99 TTD 128

$19.71 ₡8,893

-3.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 TTD 10.32

$2.91 ₡1,314

-47.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 TTD 20.01

$3.54 ₡1,597

-15.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 TTD 5.78

$2.15 ₡969

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 TTD 6.05

$1.63 ₡738

-44.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.81 TTD 99.4

$8.77 ₡3,958

68.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 TTD 7.45

$1.55 ₡700

-28.39%

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

$37.5K TTD 251.6K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

10.58%

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

$41.3K TTD 277.6K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

7.45%

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

$43.39 TTD 291

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-54.43%

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

$41.96 TTD 282

$36.29 ₡16.4K

15.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.57 TTD 306

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-12.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 TTD 58.1

$7.54 ₡3,404

14.85%

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

$402 TTD 2,700

$496 ₡224.0K

-18.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 72.9K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-7.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 TTD 363

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.71 TTD 246

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-34.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 TTD 591

$77.8 ₡35.1K

13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 TTD 399

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-24.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 TTD 1,895

$817 ₡368.9K

-65.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 TTD 1,593

$806 ₡363.6K

-70.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 TTD 4,533

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 TTD 3,965

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-58.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

8.62

-33.29%

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

Last update for Tunapuna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tunapuna

$320 32.2%

Nosara

$351 19% 9.9% $32

Accommodation & Living

Tunapuna

$237 24%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 240% $568

Eating Out

Tunapuna

$173 17.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 23.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tunapuna

$131 13.2%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 40.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tunapuna

$107 10.8%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 12.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tunapuna

$17 * 1.8%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 377% $65

Getting Around

Tunapuna

$5.4 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 1556% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Tunapuna versus $817 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 $75 in Tunapuna versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Tunapuna vs $351 in Nosara – so Tunapuna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tunapuna

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

2 h behind Tunapuna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,758

4,912

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.134 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 TTD (1 TTD = 0.134 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tunapuna Nosara 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tunapuna
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

Tunapuna vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $991 in Tunapuna, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,486 per month in Tunapuna and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tunapuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $817 in Nosara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Tunapuna and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $991 in Tunapuna and $1,846 in Nosara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tunapuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.