Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Moca

For one person, living is cheaper in Moca: $595 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Moca
Learn more

Moca Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Moca

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Moca

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $595 in Moca, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Moca $595

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $962 in Moca, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Moca $962

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,329 in Moca, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Moca $1,329

Nosara costs about 209% more than Moca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Moca is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$8.39 DOP 512

47.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$40.42 DOP 2,468

51.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$6.93 DOP 423

8.51%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$1.73 DOP 106

154.91%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.67 DOP 40.90

159.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.38 DOP 23.14

244.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$2.54 DOP 155

29.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$3.17 DOP 194

41.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.20 DOP 73.5

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.52 DOP 92.7

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.49 DOP 91.0

68.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.44 DOP 88.1

147.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$6.09 DOP 372

22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$3.53 DOP 216

198.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$4.84 DOP 296

188.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.26 DOP 199

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$0.83 DOP 50.8

93.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.63 DOP 160

82.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.78 DOP 109

-9.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.97 DOP 120

92.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$2.21 DOP 135

66.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.87 DOP 53.1

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.94 DOP 57.4

182.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$4.80 DOP 293

7.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$10.12 DOP 618

96.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$2.59 DOP 158

11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$2.95 DOP 180

23.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$2.52 DOP 154

-15.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.23 DOP 136

-29.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$5.93 DOP 362

43.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.44 DOP 87.9

5.56%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.8K DOP 904.2K

45.95%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.4K DOP 1.6M

35.76%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$92.2 DOP 5,630

4.45%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$26.65 DOP 1,627

34.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$35.83 DOP 2,188

49.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$5.08 DOP 310

55.31%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$149 DOP 9,108

231.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,389 DOP 329.1K

120.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.76 DOP 1,635

101.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$44.44 DOP 2,714

24.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$62.1 DOP 3,794

25.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$66.7 DOP 4,071

19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 Moca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Moca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Moca

$194 32.7% 44.9% $158

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Moca

$132 22.2% 37.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Moca

$155 26% 16.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Moca

$90 15.1% 25.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Moca

$10 * 1.7% 88.4% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Moca

$14 * 2.3% 84.3% $73

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 $40.00 in Moca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $194 – making Moca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Moca

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

172,294

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Moca 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Moca

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 Moca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $595 in Moca – roughly 209% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $892 in Moca. 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 $595 in Moca. That's a gap of about 209%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $149 in Moca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Moca, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Moca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $595 in Moca to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Moca. 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.