Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dorado

For one person, living is cheaper in Dorado: $1,279 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Dorado
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Dorado Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Dorado

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dorado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,279 in Dorado.

Nosara $1,835
Dorado $1,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $2,014 in Dorado.

Nosara $2,825
Dorado $2,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,749 in Dorado.

Nosara $3,814
Dorado $2,749

Living in Nosara is roughly 43% more expensive than in Dorado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Dorado is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$18.86 $18.86

-34.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$81.3 $81.3

-24.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.46 $9.46

-17.97%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.51 $3.51

26.50%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.90 $1.90

-5.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.46 $1.46

-11.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.97 $2.97

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.02 $5.02

-11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.23 $2.23

-30.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$3.55 $3.55

-13.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.35 $2.35

7.66%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$7.02 $7.02

-50.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.61 $12.61

-41.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$9.61 $9.61

6.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$13.34 $13.34

5.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$5.19 $5.19

-55.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.56 $2.56

-35.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.98 $4.98

-3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.76 $4.76

-65.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$3.68 $3.68

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$3.88 $3.88

-3.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$3.41 $3.41

-68.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.61 $1.61

60.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$12.13 $12.13

-57.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$15.63 $15.63

27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$3.14 $3.14

-10.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$4.10 $4.10

-14.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.45 $2.45

-11.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.53 $1.53

1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$42.08 $42.08

-79.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.10 $1.10

40.91%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.4K $39.4K

-12.21%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$28.1K $28.1K

37.93%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$324 $324

-70.76%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$27.50 $27.50

31.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$70.3 $70.3

-24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$10.66 $10.66

-25.80%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$823 $823

-40.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,372 $6,372

86.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$57.2 $57.2

-4.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$60.6 $60.6

-7.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$108 $108

-25.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 $114

-31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.55

31.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Dorado: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Dorado

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Dorado

$413 32.3% 18.1% $63

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Dorado

$260 20.3% 22.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Dorado

$422 33% 129% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Dorado

$153 12% 26.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Dorado

$21 * 1.7% 76.2% $68

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Dorado

$10 * 0.8% 88.6% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $81.0 in Dorado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $413 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Dorado

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,172

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dorado 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dorado

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 Dorado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dorado is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,919 in Dorado 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.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $823 in Dorado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dorado – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,279 in Dorado versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dorado but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Dorado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dorado 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 Dorado 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 Dorado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.