Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,939 in Montpellier, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Montpellier despite lower rent and utilities.

95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,939

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,939 in Montpellier versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Montpellier $1,939
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,940 in Montpellier versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Montpellier $2,940
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,942 in Montpellier versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Montpellier $3,942
Nosara $3,712

Living in Montpellier is roughly 6% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montpellier 45% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.96

$12.22 ₡5,509

37.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

21.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 €13.80

$7.54 ₡3,399

105.17%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.19

$4.31 ₡1,941

-16.94%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$1.72 ₡773

74.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.35 ₡608

45.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.93

$3.24 ₡1,459

70.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.06

$4.48 ₡2,018

1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.57 ₡707

-14.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.17 ₡1,429

-29.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$2.42 ₡1,091

12.81%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.31

$3.57 ₡1,609

3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 €16.78

$7.43 ₡3,349

153.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.88 €12.39

$10.42 ₡4,697

33.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.64 €21.99

$13.66 ₡6,156

80.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.32 ₡1,044

28.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.61 ₡728

47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 €2.63

$4.74 ₡2,138

-37.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 €3.57

$1.66 ₡747

140.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$3.72 ₡1,679

-37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$3.57 ₡1,611

-19.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.10 ₡497

56.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$2.55 ₡1,149

-74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.21 €12.68

$4.95 ₡2,232

187.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.94

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.73 €3.33

$2.79 ₡1,256

33.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.53 ₡1,589

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.19 ₡537

68.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.09 €0.97

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-98.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 €4.39

$2.24 ₡1,011

119.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.55 ₡701

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.02 €29.47

$8.86 ₡3,993

272.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.57 ₡708

35.67%

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

$35.2K €31.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

61.44%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

2.00%

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

$218 €195

$93.5 ₡42.1K

133.32%

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

$16.47 €14.70

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-53.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.00 €28.56

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-37.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.67 €30.94

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-51.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 €12.75

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 €12.73

$7.84 ₡3,535

81.89%

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

$756 €674

$490 ₡220.7K

54.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

10.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 €80.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

68.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 €58.6

$55.8 ₡25.1K

17.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$79.3 ₡35.7K

33.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €158

$78.9 ₡35.6K

124.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 €814

$786 ₡354.3K

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 €649

$780 ₡351.6K

-6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 €1,380

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-59.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,026

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-18.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,064 €4,519

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-27.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,268

$1,201 ₡541.3K

204.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,743 €2,447

$876 ₡395.0K

212.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

8.62

-55.80%

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

Last update for Montpellier: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpellier

$728 37.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 7.2% $52

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$389 20%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 10.3% $40

Eating Out

Montpellier

$280 14.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 25.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$267 13.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 32.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$198 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 39.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$63 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.8% $24

Getting Around

Montpellier

$22 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 291% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $912 in Montpellier and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 213% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montpellier vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

23:11 11:11 PM

8 h behind Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montpellier Nosara 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpellier
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

Montpellier vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 213% higher in Montpellier, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $912 in Montpellier versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Montpellier. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $73.0 in Montpellier. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,939 in Montpellier, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Montpellier. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montpellier, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montpellier and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Montpellier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.