Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dong Xoai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Xoai: $770 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Xoai
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Dong Xoai Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Dong Xoai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dong Xoai

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $770 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Dong Xoai $770

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,234 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Dong Xoai $1,234

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,697 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Dong Xoai $1,697

Nosara costs about 139% more than Dong Xoai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Dong Xoai is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.00 ₫51.9K

517.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.30 ₫499.6K

216.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.39 ₫113.6K

71.30%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.65 ₫42.6K

167.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.55 ₫14.1K

216.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 ₫7,988

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.82 ₫21.3K

300.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.42 ₫36.7K

214.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.49 ₫38.6K

4.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.06 ₫27.3K

184.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.93 ₫24.0K

169.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.53 ₫39.5K

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.35 ₫293.7K

-34.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.80 ₫98.3K

176.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.82 ₫254.1K

42.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.92 ₫75.7K

-19.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.09 ₫28.1K

47.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.31 ₫33.9K

266.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.27 ₫32.8K

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.06 ₫27.6K

258.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.16 ₫29.9K

218.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.60 ₫15.5K

88.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 ₫13.2K

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.44 ₫37.2K

259.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.76 ₫304.5K

69.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.82 ₫21.3K

253.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.65 ₫42.8K

120.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.34 ₫8,890

229.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$6.59 ₫170.6K

1002.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.77 ₫19.9K

177.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.61 ₫15.7K

157.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.44 ₫63.2K

249.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.89 ₫23.0K

70.79%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$30.6K ₫792.5M

-29.41%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.9K ₫774.6M

15.36%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$77.6 ₫2.0M

24.10%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.89 ₫152.4K

509.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$8.65 ₫224.0K

519.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$22.14 ₫573.1K

223.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.88 ₫204.1K

343.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.17 ₫82.0K

148.90%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$160 ₫4.1M

209.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.4K ₫322.1M

-4.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$44.64 ₫1.2M

20.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.86 ₫669.6K

114.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.6 ₫2.1M

-5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.4 ₫2.0M

1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$401 ₫10.4M

96.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$279 ₫7.2M

184.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$739 ₫19.1M

433.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$617 ₫16.0M

130.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,832 ₫73.3M

144.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,308 ₫33.9M

-6.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.46

1.89%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dong Xoai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Dong Xoai

$279 36.2% 64.8% $515

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Dong Xoai

$195 25.4% 44.5% $157

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Dong Xoai

$59 7.7% 72% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Dong Xoai

$92 12% 50.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Dong Xoai

$104 13.5% 13.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Dong Xoai

$28 3.7% 67.4% $59

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Dong Xoai

$12 1.5% 86.5% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $401 in Dong Xoai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $19.00 in Dong Xoai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $195 – making Dong Xoai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Dong Xoai

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

168,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dong Xoai 17,250 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dong Xoai

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 Dong Xoai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $770 in Dong Xoai – roughly 139% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,156 in Dong Xoai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dong Xoai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $770 in Dong Xoai. That's a gap of about 139%.

Public transport costs about 1002% less in Dong Xoai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Dong Xoai, where all-in costs run around $770, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Dong Xoai 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 $770 in Dong Xoai 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 Dong Xoai. 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.