Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
41

Cost of Living Index in La Romana
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La Romana Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in La Romana

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $631 in La Romana, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
La Romana $631

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,014 in La Romana, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
La Romana $1,014

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,398 in La Romana, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
La Romana $1,398

Nosara costs about 191% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while La Romana is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.43 DOP 516

46.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.80 DOP 2,499

49.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.16 DOP 439

5.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.75 DOP 107

152.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.71 DOP 43.32

145.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.32 DOP 19.33

309.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.43 DOP 149

34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.97 DOP 244

12.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.05 DOP 64.1

48.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.80 DOP 110

67.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.51 DOP 92.3

66.23%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.48 DOP 91.0

141.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.28 DOP 384

18.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.53 DOP 216

198.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.62 DOP 283

202.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.61 DOP 221

-34.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.38 DOP 84.3

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.23 DOP 198

48.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.13 DOP 131

-24.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.58 DOP 220

6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.87 DOP 176

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.88 DOP 53.9

28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.60 DOP 98.2

66.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.66 DOP 285

11.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$16.45 DOP 1,007

20.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.00 DOP 184

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.48 DOP 213

4.31%

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

$2.49 DOP 153

-14.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.23 DOP 198

-51.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.39 DOP 85.1

9.35%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$15.1K DOP 922.4K

43.51%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

35.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$95.3 DOP 5,837

1.06%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.68 DOP 593

270.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$39.12 DOP 2,397

36.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.97 DOP 305

58.75%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$146 DOP 8,946

238.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,480 DOP 335.7K

116.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.84 DOP 1,644

100.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$45.24 DOP 2,772

22.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$60.6 DOP 3,713

28.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$67.0 DOP 4,104

18.82%

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

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for La Romana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

La Romana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

La Romana

$235 37.2% 33.4% $118

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

La Romana

$134 21.2% 36.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

La Romana

$144 22.8% 22.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

La Romana

$90 14.2% 25.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

La Romana

$9.9 * 1.6% 88.6% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

La Romana

$19 * 3% 78.6% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $235 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

13:40 1:40 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

567,431

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara La Romana 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
La Romana

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 La Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 191%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $947 in La Romana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $631 in La Romana. That's a gap of about 191%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $146 in La Romana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Nosara at $1,839. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Romana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 La Romana. 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.