Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $660 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Azua
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Azua Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Azua

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Azua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $660 in Azua.

Nosara $1,837
Azua $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,060 in Azua.

Nosara $2,775
Azua $1,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,460 in Azua.

Nosara $3,712
Azua $1,460

Living in Nosara is roughly 179% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Azua is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$8.61 DOP 524

41.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$41.37 DOP 2,518

45.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.15 DOP 435

5.45%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.36 DOP 82.5

216.91%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.68 DOP 41.59

152.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.39 DOP 23.53

246.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.57 DOP 157

26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.14 DOP 252

8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.20 DOP 73.0

30.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.83 DOP 111

73.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.05 DOP 63.8

130.48%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.47 DOP 89.3

142.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.55 DOP 399

13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.69 DOP 224

182.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.83 DOP 294

182.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.74 DOP 228

-37.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.42 DOP 86.2

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.23 DOP 197

46.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.27 DOP 138

-26.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.68 DOP 224

1.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.93 DOP 178

21.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.96 DOP 58.6

14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.63 DOP 98.9

56.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.75 DOP 289

4.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$17.12 DOP 1,042

16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.92 DOP 178

-4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.37 DOP 205

4.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.49 DOP 151

-10.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.27 DOP 199

-52.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.37 DOP 83.7

14.60%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$15.0K DOP 915.2K

45.01%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

34.52%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$94.7 DOP 5,767

-1.36%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$27.44 DOP 1,670

27.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$39.28 DOP 2,391

31.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$20.21 DOP 1,230

253.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.07 DOP 309

54.64%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$152 DOP 9,263

221.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,570 DOP 339.0K

113.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$26.60 DOP 1,619

101.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$45.31 DOP 2,758

23.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$62.8 DOP 3,824

26.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$66.8 DOP 4,063

18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,576 DOP 217.7K

94.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Azua: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Azua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Azua

$240 35.7% 31.3% $109

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Azua

$132 19.6% 37% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Azua

$161 24% 10.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Azua

$91 13.5% 24.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Azua

$30 4.5% 65.1% $57

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Azua

$19 * 2.8% 78.3% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $41.00 in Azua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $240 per month, with Azua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Azua

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

128,264

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.21 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Azua 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Azua

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

Nosara vs Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Azua is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 179% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $990 in Azua 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $660 in Azua – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $660 in Azua versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Nosara and Azua 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 Azua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.