Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Roman

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $840 in Roman, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Roman $840

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,946 in Roman, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Roman $1,946

Nosara costs about 119% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Roman is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.42 RON 49.30

18.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$33.99 RON 161

79.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.31 RON 34.59

2.87%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.43 RON 11.49

81.48%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.38 RON 6.54

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.06 RON 5.03

23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.05 RON 9.69

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.17 RON 10.29

105.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 RON 5.61

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.66 RON 3.10

357.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.43 RON 6.75

75.52%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.89 RON 13.65

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.55 RON 35.72

-1.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.72 RON 27.05

83.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.63 RON 40.85

61.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.07 RON 5.05

119.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.51 RON 7.15

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.42 RON 6.71

238.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.75 RON 8.30

-8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.72 RON 3.39

427.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.88 RON 4.16

319.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.88 RON 4.17

28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.72 RON 3.41

269.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.62 RON 26.58

-7.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.34 RON 25.25

272.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.97 RON 4.59

198.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.19 RON 5.61

205.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.76 RON 3.62

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$21.67 RON 103

235.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.66 RON 3.13

224.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.64 RON 3.04

145.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.04 RON 33.30

21.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.74 RON 8.22

-12.64%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-23.19%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.1K RON 118.6K

37.68%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$146 RON 691

-34.04%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.96 RON 32.93

415.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$7.80 RON 36.88

587.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.11 RON 176

92.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$20.05 RON 94.9

74.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.42 RON 30.40

22.90%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$295 RON 1,397

67.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,901 RON 23.2K

141.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$96.3 RON 456

-43.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.51 RON 121

117.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.4 RON 290

26.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$58.0 RON 274

37.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$213 RON 1,008

269.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$157 RON 745

404.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$605 RON 2,863

550.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$454 RON 2,146

212.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,862 RON 8,812

271.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,356 RON 6,413

-9.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$820 RON 3,880

5.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.2

19.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Roman

$157 18.7% 80.2% $637

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Roman

$176 20.9% 50.1% $177

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Roman

$159 18.9% 25% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Roman

$161 19.1% 13.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Roman

$109 12.9% 9.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Roman

$50 6% 42.8% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Roman

$29 3.4% 67.2% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $213 in Roman. 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 5% 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 $34.00 in Roman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $176 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

80,328

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Roman 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $840 in Roman – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,259 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 235% less in Roman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $295 in Roman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Roman 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 $840 in Roman 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 Roman. 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.