Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagua and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagua: $645 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nagua
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Nagua Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nagua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$645

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $645 per month in Nagua vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Nagua $645
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Nagua vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Nagua $1,037
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,429 per month in Nagua vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Nagua $1,429
Nosara $3,818

Nagua is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nagua sits 52% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 DOP 489

$12.35 ₡5,539

-35.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.16 DOP 2,522

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-32.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.02 DOP 430

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.65%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.96%

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

$0.67 DOP 41.26

$1.74 ₡780

-61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 DOP 24.86

$1.31 ₡587

-68.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 DOP 152

$3.28 ₡1,471

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 DOP 238

$4.47 ₡2,004

-12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 DOP 72.9

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 DOP 106

$3.02 ₡1,355

-42.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 DOP 94.2

$2.51 ₡1,125

-38.65%

Eggs

$1.44 DOP 88.4

$3.57 ₡1,603

-59.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.20 DOP 380

$7.43 ₡3,333

-16.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 DOP 212

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 DOP 288

$13.97 ₡6,265

-66.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 DOP 232

$2.35 ₡1,052

60.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 DOP 88.7

$1.61 ₡720

-9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 DOP 204

$4.80 ₡2,152

-30.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 DOP 132

$1.61 ₡724

34.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 DOP 209

$3.80 ₡1,703

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 DOP 174

$3.69 ₡1,657

-23.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 DOP 57.2

$1.13 ₡507

-17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 DOP 97.8

$2.66 ₡1,191

-39.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.89 DOP 299

$5.18 ₡2,321

-5.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.69 DOP 1,022

$19.88 ₡8,916

-16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 DOP 177

$2.90 ₡1,300

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 DOP 204

$3.63 ₡1,626

-8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 DOP 149

$2.14 ₡958

13.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 DOP 201

$1.57 ₡703

108.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 85.0

$1.52 ₡682

-8.55%

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

$14.9K DOP 914.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-30.92%

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

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.09%

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

$93.4 DOP 5,719

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-3.05%

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

$26.47 DOP 1,621

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-26.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.84 DOP 2,379

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-27.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 DOP 311

$7.89 ₡3,539

-35.61%

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

$146 DOP 8,913

$494 ₡221.6K

-70.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,345 DOP 327.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 DOP 1,636

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-50.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 DOP 2,760

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 DOP 3,810

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-20.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.5 DOP 4,011

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Nagua: 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

Nagua

$236 36.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 49.2% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagua

$159 24.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.1% $27

Eating Out

Nagua

$131 20.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 61.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nagua

$90 13.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 33.8% $30

Getting Around

Nagua

$19 * 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 363% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Nagua

$10 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 761% $77

Accommodation & Living

Nagua

- * 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 $41.00 in Nagua versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $352 – making Nagua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Nagua

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

2 h behind Nagua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,420

4,912

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 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 DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nagua Nosara 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagua
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

Nagua vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $645 in Nagua, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $967 per month in Nagua 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 $645 in Nagua and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Nagua 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 Nagua, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nagua 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 $645 in Nagua 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 Nagua. 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.