Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Monrovia

For one person, living is cheaper in Monrovia: $1,296 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
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Monrovia Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,296

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Monrovia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,296 in Monrovia.

Nosara $1,837
Monrovia $1,296

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,926 in Monrovia.

Nosara $2,775
Monrovia $1,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,556 in Monrovia.

Nosara $3,712
Monrovia $2,556

Living in Nosara is roughly 42% more expensive than in Monrovia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Monrovia is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.33 LRD 1,248

66.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.87 LRD 1,850

-30.63%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.96 LRD 505

45.61%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.01 LRD 343

-14.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.04 LRD 348

-33.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.92 LRD 667

-17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.94 LRD 501

52.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.13 LRD 363

-26.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.81 LRD 308

75.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$5.11 LRD 870

-52.64%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.53 LRD 602

1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.82 LRD 1,332

-4.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$12.03 LRD 2,048

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$13.53 LRD 2,303

0.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.59 LRD 272

45.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$8.28 LRD 1,410

-80.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$10.11 LRD 1,721

-53.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$11.03 LRD 1,878

-84.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.25 LRD 384

65.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$10.54 LRD 1,795

-66.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$4.77 LRD 812

-76.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.06 LRD 350

23.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.87 LRD 829

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.16 LRD 1,219

179.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.43 LRD 413

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.44 LRD 586

2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$3.04 LRD 518

-60.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$19.82 LRD 3,374

263.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.06 LRD 350

8.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.91 LRD 324

-18.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$25.14 LRD 4,280

-64.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.22 LRD 208

28.69%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$19.8K LRD 3.4M

9.88%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

135.43%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$149 LRD 25.4K

-37.38%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$22.06 LRD 3,756

59.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$184 LRD 31.2K

-71.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$62.4 LRD 10.6K

14.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$10.04 LRD 1,710

252.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.14 LRD 876

52.53%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$98.2 LRD 16.7K

398.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,018 LRD 173.3K

1067.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$24.95 LRD 4,248

114.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$32.14 LRD 5,472

73.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$55.0 LRD 9,366

44.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$91.5 LRD 15.6K

-13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$253 LRD 43.1K

210.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$96.0 LRD 16.4K

712.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$650 LRD 110.6K

494.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$267 LRD 45.5K

426.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$704 LRD 119.8K

24.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monrovia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Monrovia

$96 7.5% 87.7% $684

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Monrovia

$456 35.6% 30.6% $107

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monrovia

$169 13.1% 19.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Monrovia

$355 27.6% 97.1% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Monrovia

$92 7.1% 23.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Monrovia

$73 5.7% 16.6% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Monrovia

$44 3.4% 49.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $253 in Monrovia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

03:58 3:58 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,010,970 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Liberian Dollar LRD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LRD, USD, EUR 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 170 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Monrovia 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Monrovia

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 Monrovia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monrovia wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monrovia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $253 in Monrovia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $98.2 in Monrovia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Monrovia runs roughly 264% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,296 in Monrovia versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monrovia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Monrovia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monrovia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,296 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monrovia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Monrovia 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 Monrovia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.