Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Duma

For one person, living is cheaper in Duma: $643 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Duma
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Duma Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Duma

🇸🇾 Syria

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Duma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $643 in Duma.

Nosara $1,839
Duma $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,021 in Duma.

Nosara $2,828
Duma $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,399 in Duma.

Nosara $3,818
Duma $1,399

Living in Nosara is roughly 186% more expensive than in Duma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Duma is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.05 SYP 1,221

22.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$43.34 SYP 5,267

41.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.16 SYP 870

5.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.74 SYP 454

17.91%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.30 SYP 279

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.83 SYP 101

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.04 SYP 248

60.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.10 SYP 499

9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.10 SYP 133

41.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.39 SYP 47.33

674.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.53 SYP 186

64.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.63 SYP 198

119.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.99 SYP 485

86.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.73 SYP 697

83.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.60 SYP 1,653

2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.04 SYP 126

125.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.37 SYP 167

17.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.13 SYP 138

324.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.01 SYP 123

59.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.80 SYP 96.9

375.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.75 SYP 91.6

392.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.40 SYP 48.55

182.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.62 SYP 75.5

329.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.80 SYP 341

85.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.80 SYP 704

242.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.09 SYP 133

166.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.85 SYP 346

27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.99 SYP 120

116.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.54 SYP 187

1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.87 SYP 956

8.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$3.62 SYP 440

-58.01%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

45.85%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.8K SYP 2.3M

83.46%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$138 SYP 16.8K

-30.15%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.86 SYP 1,198

264.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$46.47 SYP 5,648

15.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.47 SYP 665

44.24%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$65.5 SYP 7,956

654.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,781 SYP 216.5K

565.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.15 SYP 3,421

91.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.78 SYP 4,955

35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.0 SYP 7,412

27.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$57.4 SYP 6,969

38.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.25

-39.51%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Duma: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Duma

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Duma

$168 26.1% 52.4% $185

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Duma

$178 27.6% 16.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Duma

$194 30.2% 4.5% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Duma

$84 13.1% 29.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Duma

$11 * 1.7% 87.5% $76

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Duma

$8.7 * 1.4% 90% $78

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 $43.00 in Duma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $168 per month, with Duma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇾 Duma

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

20:18 8:18 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

110,893

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Duma 12,220 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Duma

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 Duma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duma wins on cost – living expenses run 186% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Duma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $965 in Duma 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 110% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $643 in Duma – a 186% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $643 in Duma versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Duma but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Duma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Duma delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Duma hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Duma 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 Duma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.