Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Puerto Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Plata: $824 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Plata
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Puerto Plata Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Puerto Plata

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Puerto Plata

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $824 in Puerto Plata, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Puerto Plata $824

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,338 in Puerto Plata, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Puerto Plata $1,338

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,852 in Puerto Plata, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Puerto Plata $1,852

Nosara costs about 123% more than Puerto Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Puerto Plata is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.64 DOP 346

118.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$32.77 DOP 2,007

86.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.55 DOP 463

-0.40%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.47 DOP 90.1

200.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.70 DOP 42.87

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.34 DOP 21.07

285.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.93 DOP 118

69.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.53 DOP 155

76.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.17 DOP 71.4

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.51 DOP 92.8

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.01 DOP 62.0

148.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.32 DOP 80.6

170.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.82 DOP 234

94.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.38 DOP 329

95.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$5.38 DOP 330

159.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.42 DOP 148

-2.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.79 DOP 48.17

103.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.72 DOP 105

179.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.88 DOP 54.2

82.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.03 DOP 63.3

268.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.25 DOP 76.3

195.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.85 DOP 52.0

32.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.01 DOP 61.8

163.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.40 DOP 147

115.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.39 DOP 575

111.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.07 DOP 127

40.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.00 DOP 184

21.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.97 DOP 59.2

15.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.24 DOP 199

-33.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.28 DOP 140

-31.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.74 DOP 352

48.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.31 DOP 80.0

16.03%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

-5.45%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.0K DOP 2.0M

4.47%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$40.58 DOP 2,486

137.28%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.14 DOP 1,418

55.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.33 DOP 2,226

47.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.00 DOP 306

57.80%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$253 DOP 15.5K

95.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,437 DOP 455.6K

59.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$19.30 DOP 1,182

179.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$13.03 DOP 798

325.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$86.6 DOP 5,304

-10.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$123 DOP 7,528

-35.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$434 DOP 26.6K

81.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$308 DOP 18.8K

158.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$834 DOP 51.1K

372.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$669 DOP 41.0K

112.00%

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

$328 DOP 20.1K

163.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.56

-36.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Plata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Puerto Plata

$308 37.3% 61.3% $487

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Puerto Plata

$175 21.2% 50.4% $177

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Puerto Plata

$104 12.7% 50.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Puerto Plata

$100 12.1% 46.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Puerto Plata

$109 13.2% 9.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Puerto Plata

$10 * 1.2% 88.5% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Puerto Plata

$19 * 2.3% 78.8% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $434 in Puerto Plata. 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 164% higher in Nosara, 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 $33.00 in Puerto Plata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $175 – making Puerto Plata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Puerto Plata

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

130,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Nosara Puerto Plata 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Puerto Plata

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 Puerto Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $824 in Puerto Plata – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,236 in Puerto Plata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $33.00 in Puerto Plata. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Plata, where all-in costs run around $824, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Puerto Plata 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 $824 in Puerto Plata 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 Puerto Plata. 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.