Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $903 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Montanita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $903 in Montanita.

Nosara $1,837
Montanita $903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,360 in Montanita.

Nosara $2,775
Montanita $1,360

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,817 in Montanita.

Nosara $3,712
Montanita $1,817

Living in Nosara is roughly 103% more expensive than in Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Montanita is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$3.40 $3.40

259.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$28.19 $28.19

113.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$7.27 $7.27

3.71%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$2.42 $2.42

78.10%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$0.84 $0.84

104.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.66 $0.66

104.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$2.01 $2.01

61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$3.40 $3.40

31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.09 $1.09

44.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$1.63 $1.63

94.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$1.50 $1.50

61.33%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.11 $2.11

69.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$5.53 $5.53

34.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$5.65 $5.65

84.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$6.16 $6.16

121.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$2.07 $2.07

12.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.16 $1.16

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$1.05 $1.05

351.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$1.04 $1.04

59.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$1.43 $1.43

160.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$1.03 $1.03

246.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$0.49 $0.49

124.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$1.02 $1.02

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$5.87 $5.87

-15.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

$10.02 $10.02

99.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$1.47 $1.47

89.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$2.45 $2.45

44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

$0.33 $0.33

260.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$23.80 $23.80

202.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$1.49 $1.49

50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.03 $1.03

50.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$10.10 $10.10

-12.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.62 $0.62

153.23%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$24.6K $24.6K

-11.28%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.2K $28.2K

22.66%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$39.94 $39.94

133.98%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.91 $13.91

152.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$31.23 $31.23

64.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

$30.41 $30.41

134.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

$14.55 $14.55

143.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$7.21 $7.21

8.74%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$253 $253

93.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,665 $5,665

109.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$56.5 $56.5

-5.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$43.23 $43.23

29.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$100 $100

-20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$75.1 $75.1

5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

$336 $336

133.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

$315 $315

147.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$628 $628

515.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

$494 $494

184.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,236 $1,236

464.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

$1,015 $1,015

18.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montanita: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Montanita

$315 35.6% 59.5% $464

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Montanita

$184 20.8% 47.2% $165

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Montanita

$101 11.4% 51.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Montanita

$85 9.6% 52.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Montanita

$124 14% 2.8% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Montanita

$45 5.1% 48.5% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Montanita

$32 3.6% 63.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $336 in Montanita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $28.00 in Montanita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $184 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

02:50 2:50 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Montanita 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Montanita

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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montanita is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $1,355 in Montanita 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: $786 in Nosara versus $336 in Montanita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $253 in Montanita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $903 in Montanita versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montanita 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 Montanita 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 Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.