Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mui Ne and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mui Ne: $729 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mui Ne
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Mui Ne Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mui Ne

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$729

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $729 in Mui Ne versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mui Ne $729
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Mui Ne versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mui Ne $1,170
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,611 in Mui Ne versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mui Ne $1,611
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mui Ne costs roughly 60% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mui Ne is 46% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.96 ₫50.7K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-84.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.45 ₫555.3K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-64.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 ₫119.7K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-38.43%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-61.00%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$1.74 ₡780

-70.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,789

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ₫23.9K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-71.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₫39.5K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-66.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ₫35.6K

$1.56 ₡701

-12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₫24.7K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-68.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫26.0K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-60.16%

Eggs

$1.46 ₫37.8K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-59.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

$7.43 ₡3,333

54.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.7K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-65.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 ₫252.7K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-30.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 ₫68.4K

$2.35 ₡1,052

12.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.3K

$1.61 ₡720

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.3K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-73.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₫29.0K

$1.61 ₡724

-30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-72.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₫16.5K

$1.13 ₡507

-43.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₫13.2K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.32 ₫34.1K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-74.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 ₫297.2K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-42.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-74.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫8,153

$1.12 ₡504

-72.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.50 ₫168.3K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-91.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.6K

$2.14 ₡958

-66.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫15.9K

$1.57 ₡703

-60.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 ₫74.1K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-66.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₫21.8K

$1.52 ₡682

-44.74%

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

$35.1K ₫907.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.27%

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

$31.9K ₫825.0M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.68%

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

$75.2 ₫1.9M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-21.95%

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

$5.82 ₫150.6K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-83.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.70 ₫225.3K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-83.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.57 ₫558.3K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-69.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.86 ₫203.4K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-77.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 ₫78.3K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-61.72%

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

$263 ₫6.8M

$494 ₡221.6K

-46.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₫305.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-0.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.81 ₫1.1M

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-24.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.02 ₫596.0K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-58.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 ₫2.2M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 ₫1.9M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₫9.2M

$788 ₡353.4K

-54.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 ₫6.5M

$794 ₡356.2K

-68.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 ₫18.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ₫14.1M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-61.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 ₫54.8M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-69.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 ₫31.7M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

0.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

8.62

5.57%

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

Last update for Mui Ne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mui Ne

$249 34.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 219% $545

Groceries & Markets

Mui Ne

$190 26%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 85.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Mui Ne

$101 13.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mui Ne

$90 12.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 107% $96

Eating Out

Mui Ne

$61 8.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 247% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Mui Ne

$28 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 216% $60

Getting Around

Mui Ne

$12 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 654% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $356 in Mui Ne and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Mui Ne vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $352 per month, with Mui Ne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Mui Ne

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

02:17 2:17 AM

13 h behind Mui Ne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mui Ne Nosara 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mui Ne
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

Mui Ne vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mui Ne and Nosara differ by about 152% in total monthly costs ($729 vs $1,839 including rent). Mui Ne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,094 in Mui Ne and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $356 in Mui Ne versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Mui Ne versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $729 in Mui Ne versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mui Ne but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mui Ne the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mui Ne 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 Mui Ne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.