Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Budva: $1,604 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,604

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,604 per month in Budva vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Budva $1,604
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budva vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Budva $2,553
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,501 per month in Budva vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Budva $3,501
Nosara $3,712

Budva is about 13% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budva and Nosara sit above the global median – Budva by 20%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.84 €13.24

$12.22 ₡5,509

21.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

13.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.04

$7.54 ₡3,399

78.91%

Cappuccino

$3.42 €3.05

$4.31 ₡1,941

-20.65%

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

$2.25 €2.01

$1.72 ₡773

30.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.35 ₡608

14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 €4.28

$3.24 ₡1,459

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 €3.84

$4.48 ₡2,018

-4.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.57 ₡707

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.98

$3.17 ₡1,429

-65.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.42 ₡1,091

-8.68%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$3.57 ₡1,609

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 €7.80

$7.43 ₡3,349

17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 €8.24

$10.42 ₡4,697

-11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.16

$13.66 ₡6,156

-8.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.32 ₡1,044

-44.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.61 ₡728

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$4.74 ₡2,138

-68.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.66 ₡747

70.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$3.72 ₡1,679

-74.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$3.57 ₡1,611

-70.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.10 ₡497

49.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$2.55 ₡1,149

-64.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 €3.89

$4.95 ₡2,232

-11.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.85

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.79 ₡1,256

-59.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.53 ₡1,589

-52.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.19 ₡537

138.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.03 €35.73

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-44.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.24 ₡1,011

-49.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.55 ₡701

-25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.90 €15.08

$8.86 ₡3,993

90.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.57 ₡708

9.55%

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

$29.6K €26.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

35.54%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.47%

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

$163 €145

$93.5 ₡42.1K

74.14%

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

$14.79 €13.20

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-57.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.37 €29.78

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-35.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 €52.5

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-17.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.72 €19.39

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-38.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.52

$7.84 ₡3,535

-21.05%

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

$395 €352

$490 ₡220.7K

-19.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,585 €8,553

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-19.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

94.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 €39.91

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €87.2

$79.3 ₡35.7K

23.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €158

$78.9 ₡35.6K

123.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 €735

$786 ₡354.3K

4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 €528

$780 ₡351.6K

-24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 €1,324

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-61.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,042

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-17.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,726

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-40.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,981 €2,660

$1,201 ₡541.3K

148.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,031 €920

$876 ₡395.0K

17.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

8.62

-30.97%

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

Last update for Budva: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$592 36.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 31.7% $188

Eating Out

Budva

$248 15.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 15.6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$237 14.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 47.5% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$211 13.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 14.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$190 11.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 36.8% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$71 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.4% $16

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 49% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Budva 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 18% higher in Budva, 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 $68.0 in Budva versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Budva vs $350 in Nosara – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

19:37 7:37 PM

8 h behind Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budva Nosara 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budva
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

Budva vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,604 in Budva, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,406 per month in Budva 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 Budva, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,604 in Budva and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Budva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Budva, where all-in costs run around $1,604, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Budva 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 $1,604 in Budva to $1,837 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 Budva. 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.