Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Montegalda

For one person, living is cheaper in Montegalda: $1,677 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Montegalda
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Montegalda Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Montegalda

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Montegalda

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,677 in Montegalda, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Montegalda $1,677

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,647 in Montegalda, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Montegalda $2,647

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,618 in Montegalda, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Montegalda $3,618

Nosara costs about 10% more than Montegalda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Montegalda sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Montegalda by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.30 €19.83

-44.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$83.6 €74.4

-26.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$12.18 €10.83

-38.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.00 €1.78

120.50%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.42 €3.04

-49.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.35 €1.20

-2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.38 €5.68

-48.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.88 €4.34

-8.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.45 €1.29

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.53 €2.25

19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.31 €2.94

-24.17%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.31 €3.84

-17.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.25 €15.34

-56.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.03 €10.70

-12.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$19.10 €16.99

-26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.40 €2.13

-2.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.27 €2.02

-29.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.49 €2.21

92.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.19 €1.95

-26.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.94 €1.72

95.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.84 €1.64

100.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 €1.14

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.42 €0.37

533.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.81 €6.06

-23.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.83 €6.07

191.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.34 €1.19

116.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.81 €1.61

100.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.69 €1.51

-33.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$35.96 €31.99

102.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$9.05 €8.05

-76.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.66 €1.48

-5.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$39.83 €35.43

-78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.00 €1.78

-24.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.9K €31.9K

-39.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.9K €31.1K

-1.20%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$195 €173

-50.57%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.76 €7.79

309.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.97 €25.77

84.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.8 €46.06

38.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.91 €22.16

40.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.25 €10.00

-29.87%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$554 €493

-10.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.9K €9,660

9.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$69.1 €61.4

-21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$33.55 €29.84

65.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.0 €80.0

-13.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$121 €107

-34.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$627 €558

25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$540 €480

47.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$994 €884

296.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$955 €849

48.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,983 €2,653

131.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,966 €1,748

-37.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.26

164.42%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montegalda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Montegalda

$540 32.2% 32% $254

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Montegalda

$330 19.7% 6.4% $23

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Montegalda

$300 17.9% 41.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Montegalda

$233 13.9% 25.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Montegalda

$141 8.4% 17.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Montegalda

$74 4.4% 15% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Montegalda

$60 3.6% 31% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $627 in Montegalda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $84.0 in Montegalda. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $330 in Montegalda – so Montegalda wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇹 Montegalda

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

17:31 5:31 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,300

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Montegalda 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Montegalda

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 Montegalda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,515 in Montegalda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montegalda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $554 in Montegalda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montegalda, where all-in costs run around $1,677, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Montegalda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montegalda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Montegalda. 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.