Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Montijo

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Montijo: $1,839 and $1,889 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Montijo
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Montijo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Montijo

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Montijo

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,889 in Montijo, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Montijo $1,889

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,635 in Montijo, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Montijo $2,635

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,380 in Montijo, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Montijo $3,380

Nosara is about 3% cheaper than Montijo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Montijo sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Montijo by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.33 €10.97

0.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$45.50 €40.47

34.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.06 €8.06

-17.00%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.58 €2.29

70.93%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.08 €1.85

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.72 €1.53

-23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.38 €3.01

-2.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.99 €3.55

12.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.32 €1.18

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.14 €1.90

41.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.04 €1.81

23.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.38 €3.01

5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.73 €9.55

-30.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.95 €6.19

51.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.33 €13.63

-8.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.77 €2.46

-15.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.41 €1.26

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.84 €1.64

160.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.84 €2.53

-43.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.61 €1.43

136.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.12 €1.88

74.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.62 €1.44

-30.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.79 €0.70

236.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.94 €5.29

-12.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.76 €6.01

194.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.90 €0.80

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.57 €1.40

131.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.17 €1.93

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$44.19 €39.31

64.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.20 €1.96

-2.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.02 €0.91

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$18.29 €16.27

-53.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.14 €1.90

-28.97%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.1K €30.3K

-36.56%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.5K €33.4K

-8.02%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$136 €121

-29.04%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$21.08 €18.75

70.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$57.8 €51.4

-7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$21.97 €19.54

225.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.56 €15.62

98.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.91 €7.04

-0.25%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$457 €407

8.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.3K €10.1K

4.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$65.7 €58.4

-17.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$37.27 €33.15

48.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.1 €63.2

9.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$95.0 €84.5

-16.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,176 €1,046

-33.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$999 €889

-20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,698 €1,510

132.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,421 €1,264

-0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,064 €2,726

125.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,230 €1,983

-45.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,113 €990

-22.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.67

134.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montijo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Montijo

$999 52.9% 25.8% $205

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Montijo

$259 13.7% 26.4% $93

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Montijo

$197 10.4% 7.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Montijo

$215 11.4% 15.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Montijo

$121 6.4% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Montijo

$38 2% 56.7% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Montijo

$60 3.2% 30.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,176 in Montijo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Montijo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $45.00 in Montijo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $259 – making Montijo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Montijo

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

01:05 1:05 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

55,689

💱 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 Montijo 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Montijo

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 Montijo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montijo is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,834 in Montijo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,889 in Montijo. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Montijo at $1,889. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montijo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montijo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.