Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Romana and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in La Romana
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La Romana Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$631

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $631 per month in La Romana vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

La Romana $631
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,014 per month in La Romana vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

La Romana $1,014
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,398 per month in La Romana vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

La Romana $1,398
Nosara $3,818

La Romana is about 66% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Romana sits 53% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 DOP 516

$12.35 ₡5,539

-31.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.80 DOP 2,499

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 DOP 439

$7.52 ₡3,373

-4.79%

Cappuccino

$1.75 DOP 107

$4.41 ₡1,978

-60.32%

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

$0.71 DOP 43.32

$1.74 ₡780

-59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 DOP 19.33

$1.31 ₡587

-75.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 DOP 149

$3.28 ₡1,471

-25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 DOP 244

$4.47 ₡2,004

-11.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 DOP 64.1

$1.56 ₡701

-32.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 DOP 110

$3.02 ₡1,355

-40.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 DOP 92.3

$2.51 ₡1,125

-39.84%

Eggs

$1.48 DOP 91.0

$3.57 ₡1,603

-58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 DOP 384

$7.43 ₡3,333

-15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 DOP 216

$10.52 ₡4,717

-66.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.62 DOP 283

$13.97 ₡6,265

-66.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 DOP 221

$2.35 ₡1,052

53.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 84.3

$1.61 ₡720

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 DOP 198

$4.80 ₡2,152

-32.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 DOP 131

$1.61 ₡724

32.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 DOP 220

$3.80 ₡1,703

-5.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 DOP 176

$3.69 ₡1,657

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 DOP 53.9

$1.13 ₡507

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 DOP 98.2

$2.66 ₡1,191

-39.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 DOP 285

$5.18 ₡2,321

-10.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.45 DOP 1,007

$19.88 ₡8,916

-17.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 DOP 184

$2.90 ₡1,300

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 DOP 213

$3.63 ₡1,626

-4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 DOP 153

$2.14 ₡958

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 DOP 198

$1.57 ₡703

105.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 85.1

$1.52 ₡682

-8.55%

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

$15.1K DOP 922.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-30.32%

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

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.17%

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

$95.3 DOP 5,837

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-1.05%

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

$9.68 DOP 593

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-73.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.12 DOP 2,397

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-27.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 DOP 305

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.01%

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

$146 DOP 8,946

$494 ₡221.6K

-70.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,480 DOP 335.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-53.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.84 DOP 1,644

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-50.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.24 DOP 2,772

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 DOP 3,713

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.0 DOP 4,104

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-15.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

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

Last update for La Romana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Romana

$235 37.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 50.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Romana

$144 22.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.9% $42

Eating Out

La Romana

$134 21.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 58% $78

Clothing & Footwear

La Romana

$90 14.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 33.6% $30

Getting Around

La Romana

$19 * 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 367% $68

Sport & Entertainment

La Romana

$9.9 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 779% $77

Accommodation & Living

La Romana

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in La Romana versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $352 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 La Romana

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

10:50 10:50 AM

2 h behind La Romana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

567,431

4,912

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Romana Nosara 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

La Romana
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

La Romana vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 191%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $947 per month in La Romana and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $631 in La Romana and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 191%.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in La Romana and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Nosara at $1,839. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 La Romana. 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.