Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nagua

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagua: $645 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nagua
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Nagua Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nagua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nagua

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $645 in Nagua, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Nagua $645

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,037 in Nagua, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Nagua $1,037

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,429 in Nagua, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Nagua $1,429

Nosara costs about 185% more than Nagua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Nagua is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.99 DOP 489

54.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$41.16 DOP 2,522

48.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.02 DOP 430

7.12%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.81 DOP 111

143.65%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.67 DOP 41.26

159.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.41 DOP 24.86

219.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.48 DOP 152

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.89 DOP 238

14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 DOP 72.9

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.73 DOP 106

74.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.54 DOP 94.2

62.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.44 DOP 88.4

147.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.20 DOP 380

19.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.46 DOP 212

204.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.71 DOP 288

196.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.78 DOP 232

-37.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.45 DOP 88.7

11.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.33 DOP 204

44.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.16 DOP 132

-25.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.42 DOP 209

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.84 DOP 174

29.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.93 DOP 57.2

21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.60 DOP 97.8

66.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.89 DOP 299

5.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$16.69 DOP 1,022

19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.88 DOP 177

0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.33 DOP 204

9.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.43 DOP 149

-11.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.28 DOP 201

-52.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.39 DOP 85.0

9.35%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.9K DOP 914.4K

44.77%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

35.30%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$93.4 DOP 5,719

3.15%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$26.47 DOP 1,621

35.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$38.84 DOP 2,379

37.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.08 DOP 311

55.31%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$146 DOP 8,913

239.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,345 DOP 327.4K

121.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.70 DOP 1,636

102.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$45.06 DOP 2,760

22.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$62.2 DOP 3,810

25.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$65.5 DOP 4,011

21.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nagua: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nagua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nagua

$236 36.6% 33% $116

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nagua

$131 20.4% 38% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nagua

$159 24.6% 14.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nagua

$90 13.9% 25.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nagua

$10 * 1.6% 88.4% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nagua

$19 * 2.9% 78.4% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Nagua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $236 – making Nagua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Nagua

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

79,420

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Nagua 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nagua

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 Nagua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $645 in Nagua – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $967 in Nagua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $645 in Nagua. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $146 in Nagua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nagua, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nagua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $645 in Nagua to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nagua. 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.