Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union City, TN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Union City, TN: $1,653 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Union City, TN
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Union City, TN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Union City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,653

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,653 per month in Union City, TN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Union City, TN $1,653
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Union City, TN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Union City, TN $2,486
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,318 per month in Union City, TN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Union City, TN $3,318
Nosara $3,814

Union City, TN is about 10% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Union City, TN and Nosara sit above the global median – Union City, TN by 22%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.87 $9.87

$12.34 ₡5,535

-20.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 $50.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-17.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 $6.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

-10.44%

Cappuccino

$3.11 $3.11

$4.44 ₡1,992

-29.95%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$1.79 ₡803

22.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.29 ₡580

20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.24 ₡1,451

20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.43 ₡1,985

-12.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡696

-40.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.08 ₡1,380

-22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.53 ₡1,133

-18.18%

Eggs

$2.69 $2.69

$3.45 ₡1,546

-22.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$7.32 ₡3,284

7.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$10.24 ₡4,594

-13.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$14.10 ₡6,326

32.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.29 ₡1,027

93.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.64 ₡737

-23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$4.79 ₡2,149

-43.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.64 ₡735

170.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.85 ₡1,727

-43.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.75 ₡1,681

-51.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.09 ₡488

62.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.59 ₡1,160

-46.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 $6.83

$5.12 ₡2,295

33.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 $13.97

$19.92 ₡8,931

-29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.80 ₡1,255

-26.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.52 ₡1,580

-47.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.22 ₡549

51.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.17 ₡973

123.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.56 ₡698

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.16 $21.16

$8.67 ₡3,886

144.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.55 ₡697

-46.45%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

7.30%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-29.60%

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

$228 $228

$94.8 ₡42.5K

140.59%

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

$33.13 $33.13

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-8.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

41.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 $41.53

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.06 $7.06

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-80.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$7.91 ₡3,548

87.36%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$490 ₡219.9K

198.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

159.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$54.8 ₡24.6K

1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 $43.06

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-22.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 $90.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$77.9 ₡34.9K

75.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 $724

$801 ₡359.1K

-9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 $585

$790 ₡354.1K

-25.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-71.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-22.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,327 $2,327

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-67.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,591 $2,591

$1,236 ₡554.3K

109.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,019 $2,019

$887 ₡397.6K

127.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Union City, TN: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Union City, TN

$585 35.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 35% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union City, TN

$336 20.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 45.3% $152

Groceries & Markets

Union City, TN

$315 19%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.2% $35

Eating Out

Union City, TN

$179 10.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 18.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Union City, TN

$147 8.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 17.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Union City, TN

$71 4.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 25.9% $18

Getting Around

Union City, TN

$20 * 1.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 347% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $724 in Union City, TN 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.

Salaries run about 128% higher in Union City, TN, 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 $50.0 in Union City, TN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $350 – making Union City, TN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union City, TN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

1 h behind Union City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,930

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Union City, TN Nosara 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Union City, TN
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

Union City, TN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,653 in Union City, TN, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,479 per month in Union City, TN 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 Union City, TN, 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 $50.0 in Union City, TN 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 11% 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Union City, TN, where all-in costs run around $1,653, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Union City, TN it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,653 in Union City, TN 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 Union City, TN. 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.