Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montana and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Montana: $833 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Montana
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Montana Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Montana

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$833

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $833 per month in Montana vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Montana $833
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,339 per month in Montana vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Montana $1,339
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,846 per month in Montana vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Montana $1,846
Nosara $3,818

Montana is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montana sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 BGN 15.83

$12.35 ₡5,547

-26.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.16 BGN 63.3

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-40.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 BGN 17.24

$7.52 ₡3,377

30.98%

Cappuccino

$1.39 BGN 2.43

$4.41 ₡1,981

-68.48%

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

$1.38 BGN 2.42

$1.74 ₡781

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.31 ₡588

-15.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$3.28 ₡1,473

-60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 BGN 1.77

$4.47 ₡2,007

-77.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.56 ₡702

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 BGN 1.76

$3.02 ₡1,357

-66.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 BGN 3.68

$2.51 ₡1,127

-16.33%

Eggs

$2.72 BGN 4.77

$3.57 ₡1,605

-23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.73 BGN 17.03

$7.43 ₡3,338

30.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.25 BGN 5.68

$10.52 ₡4,724

-69.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 BGN 22.10

$13.97 ₡6,274

-9.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 BGN 2.12

$2.35 ₡1,054

-48.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 BGN 3.12

$1.61 ₡721

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$4.80 ₡2,155

-63.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 BGN 4.49

$1.61 ₡725

59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 BGN 1.23

$3.80 ₡1,706

-81.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$3.69 ₡1,659

-74.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 BGN 1.58

$1.13 ₡507

-20.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 BGN 0.86

$2.66 ₡1,193

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$5.18 ₡2,324

-28.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.31 BGN 11.04

$19.88 ₡8,929

-68.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$2.90 ₡1,302

-69.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.97

$3.63 ₡1,628

-69.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.12 ₡505

-20.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.29 BGN 42.50

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-66.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 BGN 1.15

$2.14 ₡959

-69.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 BGN 0.83

$1.57 ₡704

-70.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 BGN 18.12

$8.52 ₡3,828

21.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.76

$1.52 ₡683

3.95%

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

$19.6K BGN 34.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-9.30%

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

$23.7K BGN 41.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-31.38%

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

$99.8 BGN 175

$96.3 ₡43.2K

3.61%

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

$18.72 BGN 32.77

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-47.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.52 BGN 14.90

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-84.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 BGN 52.3

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.20 BGN 30.10

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 BGN 9.29

$7.89 ₡3,544

-32.70%

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

$522 BGN 914

$494 ₡221.9K

5.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,479 BGN 9,589

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-53.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 BGN 119

$53.9 ₡24.2K

25.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.05 BGN 73.6

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 BGN 166

$77.9 ₡35.0K

21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$79.6 ₡35.8K

31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 BGN 374

$788 ₡353.9K

-72.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 BGN 280

$794 ₡356.7K

-79.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 BGN 707

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 BGN 532

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-78.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,329 BGN 2,326

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-80.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,078 BGN 1,886

$1,224 ₡549.8K

-11.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$992 BGN 1,737

$864 ₡387.8K

14.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

8.62

-64.04%

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

Last update for Montana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montana

$199 23.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 77.1% $153

Accommodation & Living

Montana

$160 19.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 397% $634

Clothing & Footwear

Montana

$139 16.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.7% $19

Eating Out

Montana

$137 16.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 54.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montana

$127 15.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 46.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Montana

$40 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 116% $47

Getting Around

Montana

$31 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 182% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $214 in Montana 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 15% higher in Montana, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Montana versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $352 – making Montana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Montana

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

9 h behind Montana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,502

4,912

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montana Nosara 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Montana
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

Montana vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,250 per month in Montana 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 Montana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 199% less in Montana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $522 per month in Montana 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 Montana, where all-in costs run around $833, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Montana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montana – 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 Montana. 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.