Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dorado and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dorado: $1,279 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Dorado
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Dorado Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dorado

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,279

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Dorado versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Dorado $1,279
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,014 in Dorado versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Dorado $2,014
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Dorado versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Dorado $2,749
Nosara $3,814

Living in Dorado costs roughly 30% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dorado is 6% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$12.34 ₡5,535

52.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.3 $81.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

32.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 $9.46

$7.76 ₡3,481

21.91%

Cappuccino

$3.51 $3.51

$4.44 ₡1,992

-20.95%

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

$1.90 $1.90

$1.79 ₡803

6.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 ₡580

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.24 ₡1,451

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.43 ₡1,985

13.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.55 ₡696

43.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.08 ₡1,380

15.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.53 ₡1,133

-7.11%

Eggs

$7.02 $7.02

$3.45 ₡1,546

103.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$7.32 ₡3,284

72.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$10.24 ₡4,594

-6.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$14.10 ₡6,326

-5.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.29 ₡1,027

126.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.64 ₡737

56.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$4.79 ₡2,149

3.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.64 ₡735

190.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.85 ₡1,727

-4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.75 ₡1,681

3.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.09 ₡488

212.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.59 ₡1,160

-37.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.13 $12.13

$5.12 ₡2,295

136.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 $15.63

$19.92 ₡8,931

-21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.80 ₡1,255

12.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.52 ₡1,580

16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.17 ₡973

12.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.56 ₡698

-1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.08 $42.08

$8.67 ₡3,886

385.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡697

-29.03%

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

$39.4K $39.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

13.90%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-27.50%

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

$324 $324

$94.8 ₡42.5K

241.98%

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

$27.50 $27.50

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-23.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

32.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 $10.66

$7.91 ₡3,548

34.77%

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

$823 $823

$490 ₡219.9K

67.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,372 $6,372

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-46.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$54.8 ₡24.6K

4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 $60.6

$55.9 ₡25.1K

8.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$80.4 ₡36.0K

34.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Dorado: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dorado

$422 33%

Nosara

$184 10% 56.4% $238

Groceries & Markets

Dorado

$413 32.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 15.3% $63

Eating Out

Dorado

$260 20.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 18.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Dorado

$153 12%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 21% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Dorado

$21 * 1.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 320% $68

Getting Around

Dorado

$10 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 780% $79

Accommodation & Living

Dorado

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $81.0 in Dorado vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Dorado

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

2 h behind Dorado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,172

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dorado Nosara 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dorado
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

Dorado vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dorado is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,919 in Dorado and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $823 in Dorado versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dorado – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,279 in Dorado versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dorado but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Dorado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dorado is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dorado and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dorado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.