Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Podgorica: $1,315 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
Learn more

Podgorica Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Podgorica

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,315 in Podgorica, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Podgorica $1,315

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,079 in Podgorica, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Podgorica $2,079

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,844 in Podgorica, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Podgorica $2,844

Nosara costs about 40% more than Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Podgorica is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$11.18 €9.98

9.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$45.17 €40.31

33.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.73 €9.58

-29.73%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.12 €1.89

103.30%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.52 €2.25

-31.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.46 €1.30

-7.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.06 €2.73

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.30 €2.94

35.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.33 €1.19

18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.02 €0.91

210.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.92 €1.71

26.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.61 €3.22

-1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.80 €7.86

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.51 €7.59

22.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.30 €10.97

11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.62 €1.44

43.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.64 €1.46

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.81 €1.62

161.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.33 €2.08

-28.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.99 €0.88

275.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.02 €0.91

250.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.44 €1.29

-23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.83 €0.74

207.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.42 €3.95

11.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.71 €5.10

250.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.04 €0.93

168.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.71 €1.53

106.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.03 €0.92

15.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$33.52 €29.91

115.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.73 €0.65

206.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.75 €0.67

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.39 €10.16

-22.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.91 €1.71

-17.80%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$30.1K €26.8K

-27.50%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$26.4K €23.5K

31.38%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$126 €112

-25.87%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$19.15 €17.09

83.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$31.45 €28.07

63.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$48.97 €43.70

45.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$13.71 €12.24

158.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.51 €5.81

20.43%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$336 €300

45.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,417 €6,619

60.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$86.1 €76.8

-37.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$46.19 €41.22

20.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$98.5 €87.9

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$108 €96.2

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$640 €571

22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$485 €433

60.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,306 €1,165

195.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$989 €883

42.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,074 €2,743

126.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,329 €2,078

-48.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,158 €1,033

-24.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.22

65.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Podgorica: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Podgorica

$485 36.4% 37.8% $295

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Podgorica

$229 17.2% 34.4% $120

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Podgorica

$185 13.9% 11.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Podgorica

$177 13.3% 1.9% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Podgorica

$152 11.4% 26.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Podgorica

$62 4.7% 28.8% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Podgorica

$42 3.2% 51.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $640 in Podgorica. 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 32% higher in Podgorica, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $45.00 in Podgorica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $229 – making Podgorica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

07:45 7:45 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Podgorica 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Podgorica

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 Podgorica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,315 in Podgorica – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,973 in Podgorica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 115% less in Podgorica. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $336 in Podgorica. 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 Podgorica, where all-in costs run around $1,315, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Podgorica 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 $1,315 in Podgorica to $1,837 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 Podgorica. 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.