Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cricova

For one person, living is cheaper in Cricova: $1,022 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
Learn more

Cricova Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cricova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,022 in Cricova.

Nosara $1,839
Cricova $1,022

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,858 in Cricova.

Nosara $2,828
Cricova $1,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,693 in Cricova.

Nosara $3,818
Cricova $2,693

Living in Nosara is roughly 80% more expensive than in Cricova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Cricova is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.25 MDL 146

49.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.53 MDL 489

122.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.30 MDL 183

-26.99%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.08 MDL 19.20

308.33%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.05 MDL 18.59

65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.68 MDL 12.14

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.00 MDL 35.55

64.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.21 MDL 39.25

102.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.39 MDL 42.52

-34.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.46 MDL 8.18

556.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.09 MDL 19.38

130.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.25 MDL 22.22

185.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.90 MDL 123

7.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.59 MDL 81.5

129.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.35 MDL 219

13.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.08 MDL 19.14

117.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.86 MDL 15.21

87.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.03 MDL 18.33

366.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.09 MDL 19.29

47.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.76 MDL 13.44

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.09 MDL 19.36

238.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.08 MDL 19.24

4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.09 MDL 19.37

144.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.31 MDL 58.8

56.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.45 MDL 79.1

346.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.58 MDL 45.88

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.28 MDL 75.9

-15.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.53 MDL 9.48

111.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$22.39 MDL 398

224.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.10 MDL 19.57

94.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.26 MDL 4.63

503.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.53 MDL 116

30.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.30 MDL 23.12

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.2K MDL 517.9K

-25.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.8K MDL 422.4K

45.11%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$235 MDL 4,176

-59.05%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.70 MDL 137

366.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$11.02 MDL 196

386.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$56.5 MDL 1,003

26.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$11.20 MDL 199

211.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.42 MDL 132

6.33%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$111 MDL 1,972

345.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,220 MDL 92.7K

127.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.2 MDL 998

-3.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.60 MDL 490

100.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.5 MDL 1,464

-5.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$114 MDL 2,021

-30.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$884 MDL 15.7K

-10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$222 MDL 3,943

257.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,373 MDL 24.4K

186.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,108 MDL 19.7K

28.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,775 MDL 49.3K

149.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,943 MDL 34.5K

-37.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$562 MDL 9,989

53.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

23.14%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cricova: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cricova

$222 21.7% 72% $572

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cricova

$191 18.7% 45.8% $161

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cricova

$131 12.8% 38.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cricova

$254 24.8% 36.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cricova

$126 12.3% 4.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cricova

$71 7% 18.3% $16

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cricova

$27 2.6% 69.1% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $884 in Cricova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 54% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $28.00 in Cricova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $191 per month, with Cricova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇩 Cricova

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

06:19 6:19 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

10,642

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cricova 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cricova

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 Cricova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Cricova differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,022 including rent). Cricova is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Nosara, 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: $788 in Nosara versus $884 in Cricova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cricova runs roughly 224% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $111 in Cricova. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,022 in Cricova versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cricova but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cricova 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, Nosara and Cricova 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 Cricova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.