Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Herceg Novi

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,237 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Herceg Novi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,237 in Herceg Novi.

Nosara $1,837
Herceg Novi $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,973 in Herceg Novi.

Nosara $2,775
Herceg Novi $1,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,710 in Herceg Novi.

Nosara $3,712
Herceg Novi $2,710

Living in Nosara is roughly 49% more expensive than in Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Herceg Novi is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$11.23 €10.02

8.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$36.34 €32.43

65.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.19 €8.20

-17.95%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.59 €2.31

66.41%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.47 €2.20

-30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.64 €1.46

-17.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.82 €2.52

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.39 €3.02

32.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.16 €1.04

35.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.02 €0.91

210.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.82 €2.52

-14.18%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.03 €2.70

17.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.94 €7.98

-16.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$7.27 €6.48

43.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.81 €11.43

6.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.34 €1.20

73.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.55 €1.38

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.58 €1.41

200.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.02 €2.70

-45.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.89 €0.80

317.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.30 €1.16

174.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.52 €1.36

-27.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.93 €0.83

174.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.98 €3.55

24.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$4.43 €3.96

351.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.24 €1.11

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.72 €1.54

105.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.69 €1.51

-29.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$45.08 €40.23

59.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.91 €2.60

-23.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.09 €0.97

42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$16.59 €14.81

-46.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.72 €1.53

-8.72%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$33.0K €29.5K

-34.02%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$20.9K €18.7K

65.48%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$131 €117

-28.93%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$12.86 €11.48

173.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$33.38 €29.79

54.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$55.7 €49.71

28.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$11.00 €9.81

222.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.00 €7.14

-2.00%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$443 €395

10.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,028 €6,272

69.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$82.5 €73.7

-35.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$33.95 €30.30

64.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$73.9 €65.9

7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$94.6 €84.4

-16.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$657 €587

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$395 €353

97.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,232 €1,100

213.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$886 €791

58.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,642 €3,250

91.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,415 €2,155

-50.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,037 €926

-15.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Herceg Novi

$395 31.8% 49.3% $385

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Herceg Novi

$225 18.1% 35.5% $124

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Herceg Novi

$186 14.9% 11.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Herceg Novi

$178 14.3% 1.3% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Herceg Novi

$128 10.3% 6.5% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.8% 17.7% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Herceg Novi

$60 4.8% 30.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $657 in Herceg Novi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Herceg Novi pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $36.00 in Herceg Novi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $225 per month, with Herceg Novi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,059

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Herceg Novi 10,400 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Herceg Novi differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,237 including rent). Herceg Novi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Herceg Novi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $657 in Herceg Novi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Herceg Novi – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,237 in Herceg Novi versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Herceg Novi but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.