Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Roseau

For one person, living is cheaper in Roseau: $1,253 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
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Roseau Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Roseau

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,253 in Roseau, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Roseau $1,253

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,147 in Roseau, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Roseau $2,147

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,041 in Roseau, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Roseau $3,041

Nosara costs about 47% more than Roseau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Roseau is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.52 EC$20.31

62.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$56.4 EC$152

6.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.62 EC$17.88

13.90%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.01 EC$10.82

7.48%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.49 EC$6.72

-30.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.27 EC$6.14

-40.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.90 EC$5.14

70.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.52 EC$6.82

77.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.41 EC$9.21

-53.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.13 EC$5.74

48.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.22 EC$3.30

98.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$5.64 EC$15.22

-36.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$2.42 EC$6.54

207.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$11.01 EC$29.73

-5.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.84 EC$34.68

6.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$6.28 EC$16.96

-63.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.39 EC$6.45

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.50 EC$12.14

5.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$5.21 EC$14.05

-68.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.53 EC$9.52

5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$3.04 EC$8.21

17.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.08 EC$5.61

-47.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.57 EC$6.94

-0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$7.44 EC$20.08

-33.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.08 EC$29.92

80.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.73 EC$7.38

2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.07 EC$8.29

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.82 EC$4.92

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$53.4 EC$144

35.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$5.39 EC$14.55

-58.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.97 EC$8.03

-47.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$10.38 EC$28.02

-14.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.39 EC$3.75

12.95%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$34.8K EC$93.9K

-37.34%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$30.0K EC$80.9K

15.55%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$141 EC$381

-33.70%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$43.95 EC$119

-20.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$70.9 EC$191

-27.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$47.16 EC$127

51.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$22.28 EC$60.2

59.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.38 EC$22.62

-6.44%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$129 EC$349

278.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,414 EC$11.9K

169.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$55.4 EC$150

-3.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$36.98 EC$99.9

50.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$74.4 EC$201

6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$91.5 EC$247

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$281 EC$759

179.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$201 EC$542

288.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$891 EC$2,407

332.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$635 EC$1,714

121.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$121 EC$328

5640.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$56.6 EC$153

2022.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$489 EC$1,320

79.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.6

13.42%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Roseau: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Roseau

$201 16.1% 74.3% $579

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Roseau

$371 29.7% 6.2% $22

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Roseau

$162 12.9% 22.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Roseau

$256 20.5% 42% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Roseau

$116 9.3% 3.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Roseau

$64 5.1% 26.6% $23

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Roseau

$81 6.5% 6.9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $281 in Roseau. 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 79% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $56.0 in Roseau. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $371 in Roseau – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇲 Roseau

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR 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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Roseau 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Roseau

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 Roseau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,253 in Roseau – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,880 in Roseau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 35% less in Roseau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $129 in Roseau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Roseau, where all-in costs run around $1,253, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Roseau 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 $1,253 in Roseau 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 Roseau. 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.