Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cabarete

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabarete: $1,189 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cabarete
Learn more

Cabarete Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cabarete

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cabarete

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 Cabarete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,189 in Cabarete.

Nosara $1,839
Cabarete $1,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,792 in Cabarete.

Nosara $2,828
Cabarete $1,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,396 in Cabarete.

Nosara $3,818
Cabarete $2,396

Living in Nosara is roughly 55% more expensive than in Cabarete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Cabarete is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.85 DOP 481

57.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$49.97 DOP 3,061

22.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.88 DOP 422

9.30%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.00 DOP 122

120.50%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.01 DOP 62.1

72.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.55 DOP 33.47

138.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.40 DOP 147

36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.16 DOP 194

41.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.39 DOP 84.9

12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.53 DOP 93.4

97.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.61 DOP 98.3

55.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.27 DOP 139

57.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.99 DOP 428

6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.45 DOP 334

93.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.47 DOP 396

115.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.86 DOP 175

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.77 DOP 46.88

109.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.67 DOP 164

79.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.85 DOP 113

-12.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.01 DOP 123

89.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.21 DOP 136

66.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.00 DOP 61.0

13.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.79 DOP 48.39

236.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.03 DOP 247

28.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.43 DOP 639

90.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.58 DOP 158

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.50 DOP 153

45.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.01 DOP 62.1

10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.20 DOP 196

-33.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.27 DOP 139

-30.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.69 DOP 349

49.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.20 DOP 73.5

26.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.8K DOP 1.4M

-5.21%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

3.66%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$91.3 DOP 5,593

5.47%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$31.47 DOP 1,928

14.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.12 DOP 2,213

48.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.15 DOP 1,541

184.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.56 DOP 463

4.37%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$249 DOP 15.3K

98.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,256 DOP 444.5K

63.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$45.97 DOP 2,816

17.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$45.57 DOP 2,792

21.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$85.7 DOP 5,253

-9.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$121 DOP 7,441

-34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$706 DOP 43.2K

11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$491 DOP 30.1K

61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,189 DOP 72.9K

231.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$790 DOP 48.4K

79.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$297 DOP 18.2K

312.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.56

-36.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cabarete

$491 41.3% 38.2% $303

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cabarete

$214 18% 39.3% $138

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cabarete

$132 11.1% 37.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cabarete

$159 13.4% 14.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cabarete

$134 11.3% 11.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cabarete

$40 3.4% 53.9% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cabarete

$19 * 1.6% 78.7% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $706 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $50.0 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $214 per month, with Cabarete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Cabarete

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

4,094

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.88 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cabarete 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cabarete

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,784 in Cabarete 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: $788 in Nosara versus $706 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $249 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cabarete – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,189 in Cabarete versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cabarete but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cabarete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,189 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cabarete 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 Cabarete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.