Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Leova: $1,355 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,355

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,355 in Leova versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Leova $1,355
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,116 in Leova versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Leova $2,116
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Leova versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Leova $2,876
Nosara $3,712

Living in Leova costs roughly 26% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leova 1% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.65 MDL 189

$12.22 ₡5,509

-12.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.19 MDL 607

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-43.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 MDL 168

$7.54 ₡3,399

25.46%

Cappuccino

$0.86 MDL 15.28

$4.31 ₡1,941

-80.05%

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

$0.49 MDL 8.78

$1.72 ₡773

-71.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MDL 6.85

$1.35 ₡608

-71.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 MDL 46.40

$3.24 ₡1,459

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MDL 48.65

$4.48 ₡2,018

-38.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MDL 30.95

$1.57 ₡707

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 MDL 27.47

$3.17 ₡1,429

-51.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MDL 23.79

$2.42 ₡1,091

-44.63%

Eggs

$1.33 MDL 23.62

$3.57 ₡1,609

-62.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 MDL 247

$7.43 ₡3,349

87.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 MDL 40.44

$10.42 ₡4,697

-78.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.02 MDL 71.3

$13.66 ₡6,156

-70.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 MDL 24.20

$2.32 ₡1,044

-41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 MDL 15.62

$1.61 ₡728

-45.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 MDL 17.40

$4.74 ₡2,138

-79.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MDL 19.70

$1.66 ₡747

-33.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 MDL 26.68

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 MDL 10.51

$3.57 ₡1,611

-83.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 MDL 7.75

$1.10 ₡497

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 MDL 17.59

$2.55 ₡1,149

-61.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.74 MDL 84.0

$4.95 ₡2,232

-4.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 MDL 270

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MDL 20.53

$2.79 ₡1,256

-58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MDL 47.94

$3.53 ₡1,589

-23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.33

$1.19 ₡537

-65.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.96 MDL 514

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-59.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 MDL 49.43

$2.24 ₡1,011

24.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MDL 9.69

$1.55 ₡701

-64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 MDL 60.0

$8.86 ₡3,993

-61.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MDL 24.37

$1.57 ₡708

-12.74%

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

$33.7K MDL 597.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

54.43%

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

$35.4K MDL 627.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

2.10%

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

$189 MDL 3,362

$93.5 ₡42.1K

102.75%

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

$5.80 MDL 103

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-83.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.20 MDL 376

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-58.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.8 MDL 1,487

$71.4 ₡32.2K

17.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 MDL 197

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-68.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.66 MDL 82.6

$7.84 ₡3,535

-40.56%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 MDL 1,513

$53.5 ₡24.1K

59.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MDL 982

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 MDL 1,737

$79.3 ₡35.7K

23.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MDL 2,040

$78.9 ₡35.6K

45.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 MDL 11.6K

$786 ₡354.3K

-16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 MDL 9,662

$780 ₡351.6K

-30.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 MDL 26.8K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-60.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 MDL 19.6K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-21.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,533 MDL 44.9K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-63.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 MDL 34.1K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

59.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 MDL 11.6K

$876 ₡395.0K

-25.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

8.62

-16.59%

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

Last update for Leova: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$545 39.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 43.2% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$216 15.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 16.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$191 13.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 82.7% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$159 11.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 24.4% $39

Eating Out

Leova

$146 10.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 43.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$93 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.5% $6

Getting Around

Leova

$36 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 140% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Leova and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34.00 in Leova vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $350 per month, with Leova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

9 h behind Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

4,912

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.64 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17.74 MDL (100 MDL = 5.64 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

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 MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leova Nosara 10,960 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Leova
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

Leova vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leova is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Leova versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,355 per month in Leova versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,355 in Leova versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Leova but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Leova the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Leova 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, Leova 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 Leova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.