Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montegalda and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Montegalda: $1,677 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Montegalda
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Montegalda Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Montegalda

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,677

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,677 per month in Montegalda vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Montegalda $1,677
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,647 per month in Montegalda vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Montegalda $2,647
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,618 per month in Montegalda vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Montegalda $3,618
Nosara $3,818

Montegalda is about 9% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montegalda and Nosara sit above the global median – Montegalda by 24%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 €19.83

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.6 €74.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

36.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 €10.83

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.97%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.65%

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

$3.42 €3.04

$1.74 ₡780

96.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.31 ₡587

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 €5.68

$3.28 ₡1,471

94.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 €4.34

$4.47 ₡2,004

9.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.56 ₡701

-7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.02 ₡1,355

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.51 ₡1,125

31.87%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.84

$3.57 ₡1,603

20.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.25 €15.34

$7.43 ₡3,333

132.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.70

$10.52 ₡4,717

14.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$13.97 ₡6,265

36.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.35 ₡1,052

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.61 ₡720

40.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$4.80 ₡2,152

-48.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.61 ₡724

36.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.13 ₡507

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 €0.37

$2.66 ₡1,191

-84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$5.18 ₡2,321

31.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.90 ₡1,300

-53.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.63 ₡1,626

-50.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.12 ₡504

50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.96 €31.99

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-50.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.05 €8.05

$2.14 ₡958

322.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.57 ₡703

5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.83 €35.43

$8.52 ₡3,823

367.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.52 ₡682

31.58%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.98%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

1.22%

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

$195 €173

$96.3 ₡43.2K

102.32%

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

$8.76 €7.79

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-75.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.97 €25.77

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.06

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-27.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.91 €22.16

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-28.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.00

$7.89 ₡3,539

42.59%

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

$554 €493

$494 ₡221.6K

12.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,660

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-8.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

28.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 €29.84

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-39.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 €80.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €107

$79.6 ₡35.7K

51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$788 ₡353.4K

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 €480

$794 ₡356.2K

-32.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 €884

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-74.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 €849

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-32.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,983 €2,653

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-56.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,966 €1,748

$1,224 ₡549.0K

60.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

8.62

-62.18%

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

Last update for Montegalda: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montegalda

$540 32.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 47.1% $254

Groceries & Markets

Montegalda

$330 19.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.9% $23

Eating Out

Montegalda

$300 17.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montegalda

$233 13.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 20.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Montegalda

$141 8.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Montegalda

$74 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Montegalda

$60 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 45% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Montegalda 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Montegalda versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $330 in Montegalda vs $352 in Nosara – so Montegalda wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Montegalda

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

09:06 9:06 AM

8 h behind Montegalda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Montegalda Nosara 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Montegalda
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

Montegalda vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,515 per month in Montegalda 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 Montegalda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $554 per month in Montegalda and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montegalda, where all-in costs run around $1,677, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Montegalda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montegalda – 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 Montegalda. 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.