Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mui Ne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mui Ne: $729 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mui Ne
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Mui Ne Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Mui Ne

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mui Ne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $729 in Mui Ne.

Nosara $1,839
Mui Ne $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,170 in Mui Ne.

Nosara $2,828
Mui Ne $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,611 in Mui Ne.

Nosara $3,818
Mui Ne $1,611

Living in Nosara is roughly 152% more expensive than in Mui Ne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Mui Ne is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.96 ₫50.7K

530.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$21.45 ₫555.3K

185.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.63 ₫119.7K

62.42%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.72 ₫44.5K

156.40%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.51 ₫13.3K

241.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.30 ₫7,789

336.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.92 ₫23.9K

256.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.52 ₫39.5K

194.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.37 ₫35.6K

13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.95 ₫24.7K

217.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.00 ₫26.0K

151.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.46 ₫37.8K

144.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.51 ₫298.0K

-35.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.66 ₫94.7K

187.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.76 ₫252.7K

43.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.64 ₫68.4K

-10.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.05 ₫27.3K

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.29 ₫33.3K

272.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.12 ₫29.0K

43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.06 ₫27.4K

258.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.04 ₫26.9K

254.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.64 ₫16.5K

76.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 ₫13.2K

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.32 ₫34.1K

292.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.48 ₫297.2K

73.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.75 ₫19.5K

286.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.65 ₫42.8K

120.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.31 ₫8,153

261.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$6.50 ₫168.3K

1017.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.72 ₫18.6K

197.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.62 ₫15.9K

153.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.86 ₫74.1K

197.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.84 ₫21.8K

80.95%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.1K ₫907.8M

-38.37%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.9K ₫825.0M

8.32%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$75.2 ₫1.9M

28.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.82 ₫150.6K

516.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$8.70 ₫225.3K

515.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$21.57 ₫558.3K

231.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.86 ₫203.4K

344.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.02 ₫78.3K

161.26%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$263 ₫6.8M

87.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.8K ₫305.6M

0.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$40.81 ₫1.1M

32.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$23.02 ₫596.0K

140.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$85.0 ₫2.2M

-8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$74.9 ₫1.9M

6.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$356 ₫9.2M

121.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$249 ₫6.5M

218.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$720 ₫18.6M

447.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$544 ₫14.1M

161.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,117 ₫54.8M

226.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,225 ₫31.7M

-0.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.1

-5.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mui Ne: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Mui Ne

$249 34.2% 68.6% $545

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Mui Ne

$190 26% 46.2% $163

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Mui Ne

$61 8.4% 71.2% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Mui Ne

$90 12.3% 51.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Mui Ne

$101 13.8% 16.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mui Ne

$28 3.8% 68.4% $60

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Mui Ne

$12 1.6% 86.7% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $356 in Mui Ne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $21.00 in Mui Ne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $190 per month, with Mui Ne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Mui Ne

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

16:06 4:06 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

25,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Mui Ne 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mui Ne

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 Mui Ne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Mui Ne differ by about 152% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $729 including rent). Mui Ne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,094 in Mui Ne 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: $788 in Nosara versus $356 in Mui Ne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $263 in Mui Ne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $729 in Mui Ne versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mui Ne but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mui Ne the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Mui Ne 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 Mui Ne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.