Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,371 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
Learn more

Maldonado Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maldonado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,371 in Maldonado.

Nosara $1,839
Maldonado $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Nosara $2,828
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,985 in Maldonado.

Nosara $3,818
Maldonado $2,985

Living in Nosara is roughly 34% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Maldonado 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.94 UYU 600

-17.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$54.8 UYU 2,198

11.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.58 UYU 545

-44.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.61 UYU 185

-4.34%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.64 UYU 106

-34.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.00 UYU 80.3

-34.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.96 UYU 119

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.61 UYU 145

23.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.16 UYU 46.70

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.74 UYU 110

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.69 UYU 68.0

48.52%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.14 UYU 166

-13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.00 UYU 562

-46.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.83 UYU 475

-11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.89 UYU 477

17.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.78 UYU 112

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.15 UYU 86.4

-25.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.77 UYU 71.1

171.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.20 UYU 129

-49.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.02 UYU 81.0

88.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.09 UYU 84.1

76.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.44 UYU 57.8

-21.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.87 UYU 75.2

42.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.56 UYU 223

-6.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.99 UYU 320

148.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.32 UYU 93.1

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.71 UYU 109

33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.42 UYU 57.0

-21.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$50.1 UYU 2,011

44.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.39 UYU 136

-36.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.41 UYU 16.27

282.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.89 UYU 397

-13.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.14 UYU 85.8

-28.97%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-19.51%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.3K UYU 1.5M

-7.34%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$113 UYU 4,548

-15.03%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.05 UYU 765

88.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$44.11 UYU 1,770

21.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$48.11 UYU 1,931

48.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$30.02 UYU 1,205

16.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.36 UYU 496

-36.17%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$488 UYU 19.6K

1.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,539 UYU 262.4K

81.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$90.5 UYU 3,632

-40.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.90 UYU 1,481

50.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$123 UYU 4,931

-36.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$120 UYU 4,796

-33.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$423 UYU 17.0K

86.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$318 UYU 12.8K

149.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$920 UYU 36.9K

328.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$590 UYU 23.7K

140.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,838 UYU 113.9K

143.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,546 UYU 62.0K

-20.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,005 UYU 40.4K

-14.11%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Maldonado

$318 23.2% 60% $477

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Maldonado

$321 23.4% 9% $32

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Maldonado

$256 18.7% 20.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Maldonado

$176 12.9% 5% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Maldonado

$166 12.1% 38.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maldonado

$73 5.3% 16.6% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Maldonado

$61 4.5% 29.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $423 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $321 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

02:23 2:23 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

62,592

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Maldonado 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maldonado

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 Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Maldonado differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,371 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Maldonado. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $423 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $488 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,371 in Maldonado versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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 Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.