Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,082 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Medias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,082 in Medias.

Nosara $1,839
Medias $1,082

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,668 in Medias.

Nosara $2,828
Medias $1,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,254 in Medias.

Nosara $3,818
Medias $2,254

Living in Nosara is roughly 70% more expensive than in Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Medias is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.00 RON 52.1

12.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$53.1 RON 251

15.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.16 RON 33.88

5.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.62 RON 17.12

21.82%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.44 RON 11.57

-28.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.14 RON 10.14

-38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.09 RON 14.60

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.37 RON 15.96

32.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.28 RON 6.05

21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.44 RON 6.79

109.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.79 RON 8.46

40.22%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.44 RON 16.27

3.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.63 RON 40.85

-13.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.79 RON 32.15

54.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.40 RON 58.7

12.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.53 RON 7.24

53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.46 RON 6.90

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.58 RON 7.45

203.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.60 RON 12.32

-38.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.83 RON 3.91

357.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.85 RON 4.04

334.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.90 RON 4.25

25.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.76 RON 3.59

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.92 RON 28.03

-12.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.16 RON 33.86

177.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.18 RON 5.56

145.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.87 RON 8.87

94.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.76 RON 3.60

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$21.20 RON 100

242.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.64 RON 3.01

234.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.66 RON 3.12

137.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.70 RON 31.69

27.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.41 RON 6.66

7.80%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.8K RON 136.5K

-25.10%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.6K RON 120.9K

35.05%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$177 RON 838

-45.64%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.69 RON 36.39

366.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$9.07 RON 42.92

490.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$38.04 RON 180

88.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$20.64 RON 97.6

69.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.49 RON 30.69

21.57%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$454 RON 2,146

8.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,061 RON 33.4K

67.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.2 RON 242

5.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.26 RON 167

57.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.7 RON 358

2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$89.6 RON 424

-11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$392 RON 1,854

101.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$281 RON 1,329

182.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$593 RON 2,806

564.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$449 RON 2,126

215.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,878 RON 8,887

267.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,322 RON 6,253

-7.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.2

19.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Medias

$281 26% 64.6% $513

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Medias

$222 20.5% 37.1% $131

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Medias

$193 17.9% 8.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Medias

$194 17.9% 4.4% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Medias

$113 10.5% 5.7% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Medias

$51 4.7% 41.6% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Medias

$28 2.6% 67.7% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $392 in Medias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $53.0 in Medias for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $222 per month, with Medias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

20:59 8:59 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

53,564

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Medias 10,700 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medias is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,623 in Medias 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $392 in Medias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $454 in Medias. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,082 in Medias versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medias but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Medias the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medias 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 Medias 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 Medias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.