Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moca and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Moca: $595 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Moca
Learn more

Moca Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Moca

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$595

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $595 per month in Moca vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Moca $595
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $962 per month in Moca vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Moca $962
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,329 per month in Moca vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Moca $1,329
Nosara $3,818

Moca is about 68% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Moca sits 56% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.39 DOP 512

$12.35 ₡5,550

-32.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 DOP 2,468

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-33.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 DOP 423

$7.52 ₡3,379

-7.85%

Cappuccino

$1.73 DOP 106

$4.41 ₡1,982

-60.77%

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

$0.67 DOP 40.90

$1.74 ₡781

-61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 DOP 23.14

$1.31 ₡588

-70.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 DOP 155

$3.28 ₡1,474

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 DOP 194

$4.47 ₡2,008

-29.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.5

$1.56 ₡702

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 DOP 92.7

$3.02 ₡1,358

-49.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 DOP 91.0

$2.51 ₡1,127

-40.64%

Eggs

$1.44 DOP 88.1

$3.57 ₡1,606

-59.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.09 DOP 372

$7.43 ₡3,340

-18.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 DOP 216

$10.52 ₡4,727

-66.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.84 DOP 296

$13.97 ₡6,277

-65.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 DOP 199

$2.35 ₡1,054

38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 DOP 50.8

$1.61 ₡721

-48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 DOP 160

$4.80 ₡2,156

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 DOP 109

$1.61 ₡725

10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 DOP 120

$3.80 ₡1,706

-48.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 DOP 135

$3.69 ₡1,660

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 DOP 53.1

$1.13 ₡508

-23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 DOP 57.4

$2.66 ₡1,193

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 DOP 293

$5.18 ₡2,326

-7.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 DOP 618

$19.88 ₡8,934

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 DOP 158

$2.90 ₡1,303

-10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 DOP 180

$3.63 ₡1,629

-18.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 DOP 154

$2.14 ₡960

17.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 DOP 136

$1.57 ₡705

42.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 DOP 362

$8.52 ₡3,830

-30.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 DOP 87.9

$1.52 ₡683

-5.26%

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

$14.8K DOP 904.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-31.48%

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

$25.4K DOP 1.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.34%

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

$92.2 DOP 5,630

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-4.26%

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

$26.65 DOP 1,627

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-25.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.83 DOP 2,188

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-33.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 DOP 310

$7.89 ₡3,546

-35.61%

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

$149 DOP 9,108

$494 ₡222.0K

-69.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,389 DOP 329.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.76 DOP 1,635

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 DOP 2,714

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 DOP 3,794

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-20.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.7 DOP 4,071

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 Moca: 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

Moca

$194 32.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 81.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moca

$155 26%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 20.1% $31

Eating Out

Moca

$132 22.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 60.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Moca

$90 15.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 33.4% $30

Getting Around

Moca

$14 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 537% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Moca

$10 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 760% $77

Accommodation & Living

Moca

- * 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 $40.00 in Moca versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $352 – making Moca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Moca

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

2 h behind Moca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,294

4,912

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Moca Nosara 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Moca
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

Moca vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $595 in Moca, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 209% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $892 per month in Moca 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 $595 in Moca and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 209%.

Kindergarten costs $149 per month in Moca and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Moca, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Moca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $595 in Moca to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Moca. 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.