Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $814 per month in Merida vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Merida $814
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,418 per month in Merida vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Merida $1,418
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,021 per month in Merida vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Merida $2,021
Nosara $3,818

Merida is about 56% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Merida sits 40% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 VES 10.4K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 VES 53.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 VES 9,500

$7.52 ₡3,373

43.88%

Cappuccino

$2.54 VES 2,226

$4.41 ₡1,978

-42.40%

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

$2.13 VES 1,867

$1.74 ₡780

22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 VES 1,195

$1.31 ₡587

3.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 VES 1,727

$3.28 ₡1,471

-39.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 VES 2,644

$4.47 ₡2,004

-32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 VES 1,788

$1.56 ₡701

30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 VES 2,913

$3.02 ₡1,355

9.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 VES 1,759

$2.51 ₡1,125

-20.32%

Eggs

$2.51 VES 2,201

$3.57 ₡1,603

-29.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 VES 5,965

$7.43 ₡3,333

-8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 VES 6,912

$10.52 ₡4,717

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 VES 6,421

$13.97 ₡6,265

-47.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 VES 4,488

$2.35 ₡1,052

117.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 VES 1,267

$1.61 ₡720

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 VES 2,426

$4.80 ₡2,152

-42.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 VES 2,070

$1.61 ₡724

46.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 VES 1,735

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,194

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 VES 1,307

$1.13 ₡507

31.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 VES 2,217

$2.66 ₡1,191

-4.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 VES 3,258

$5.18 ₡2,321

-28.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 VES 9,812

$19.88 ₡8,916

-43.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 VES 1,233

$2.90 ₡1,300

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 VES 1,944

$3.63 ₡1,626

-39.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 VES 253

$1.12 ₡504

-74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 VES 3,469

$2.14 ₡958

84.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 VES 1,300

$1.57 ₡703

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 VES 5,144

$8.52 ₡3,823

-31.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 VES 629

$1.52 ₡682

-52.63%

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

$45.7K VES 40.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

111.59%

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

$50.5K VES 44.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

46.29%

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

$12.37 VES 10.9K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-87.15%

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

$10.13 VES 8,894

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-71.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 VES 25.9K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-44.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 VES 25.8K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.79 VES 13.0K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-57.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 VES 4,325

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.52%

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

$88.5 VES 77.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

-82.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,399 VES 2.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-79.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 VES 63.7K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

34.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 VES 37.2K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 VES 85.5K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 VES 86.3K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 VES 116.2K

$788 ₡353.4K

-83.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 VES 82.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-88.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 VES 196.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-94.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 VES 169.8K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-86.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 VES 1.0M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-82.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,211 VES 1.1M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-1.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 VES 254.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

-66.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

190.02%

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

Last update for Merida: 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

Merida

$289 35.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 21.9% $63

Eating Out

Merida

$188 23.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 12.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$140 17.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.1% $20

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$94 11.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 749% $701

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$52 6.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 257% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$39 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 123% $48

Getting Around

Merida

$13 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 596% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Merida versus $788 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 197% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Merida versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $352 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Merida

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

2 h behind Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,303

4,912

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merida Nosara 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
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

Merida vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 126% more than Merida, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,221 per month in Merida and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, 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 $814 in Merida and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 126%.

Kindergarten costs $88.5 per month in Merida and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $814, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Merida costs $814 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Merida. 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.