Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madona and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Madona: $1,128 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Madona
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Madona Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Madona

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,128

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Madona vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Madona $1,128
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,730 per month in Madona vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Madona $1,730
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Madona vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Madona $2,331
Nosara $3,814

Madona is about 39% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madona sits 17% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.00

$12.34 ₡5,535

36.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

8.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 €8.25

$7.76 ₡3,481

19.59%

Cappuccino

$3.75 €3.33

$4.44 ₡1,992

-15.54%

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

$1.57 €1.40

$1.79 ₡803

-12.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.29 ₡580

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$3.24 ₡1,451

72.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.37

$4.43 ₡1,985

10.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.55 ₡696

-22.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.08 ₡1,380

-51.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.53 ₡1,133

-1.98%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$3.45 ₡1,546

4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 €9.20

$7.32 ₡3,284

41.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.48 €7.54

$10.24 ₡4,594

-17.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.57 €12.07

$14.10 ₡6,326

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.29 ₡1,027

-8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.64 ₡737

7.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$4.79 ₡2,149

-48.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 €2.85

$1.64 ₡735

95.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 €0.73

$3.85 ₡1,727

-78.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$3.75 ₡1,681

-76.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.09 ₡488

59.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$2.59 ₡1,160

-66.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.09

$5.12 ₡2,295

33.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.79

$19.92 ₡8,931

-61.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.80 ₡1,255

-27.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.52 ₡1,580

-40.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.05

$2.17 ₡973

57.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.56 ₡698

-37.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 €15.83

$8.67 ₡3,886

105.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.55 ₡697

34.19%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.24%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-21.79%

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

$365 €325

$94.8 ₡42.5K

285.02%

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

$19.58 €17.42

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-45.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 €17.76

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-62.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.19 €25.07

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-61.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.53 €4.92

$7.91 ₡3,548

-30.09%

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

$668 €594

$490 ₡219.9K

36.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €15.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

50.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 €62.2

$54.8 ₡24.6K

27.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 €45.37

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-8.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 €77.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

7.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €123

$77.9 ₡34.9K

77.04%

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 %)

4.77

8.62

-44.66%

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

Last update for Madona: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madona

$405 35.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 54.5% $221

Groceries & Markets

Madona

$264 23.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 32.7% $86

Eating Out

Madona

$257 22.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 17.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Madona

$155 13.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 22.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Madona

$39 3.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 128% $50

Getting Around

Madona

$8.3 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 969% $80

Accommodation & Living

Madona

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

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 $67.0 in Madona versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Madona vs $350 in Nosara – so Madona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Madona

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

15:08 3:08 PM

9 h behind Madona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,800

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madona Nosara 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Madona
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

Madona vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,692 per month in Madona and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Madona 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 33% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Madona, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Madona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Madona – 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 Madona. 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.