Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Samana

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $717 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Samana
Learn more

Samana Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Samana

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $717 in Samana, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Samana $717

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,173 in Samana, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Samana $1,173

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,629 in Samana, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Samana $1,629

Nosara costs about 157% more than Samana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Samana is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$8.00 DOP 489

54.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$41.46 DOP 2,533

47.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$6.85 DOP 419

9.78%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$1.81 DOP 111

143.65%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.71 DOP 43.32

145.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.41 DOP 24.84

219.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$2.52 DOP 154

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$3.94 DOP 241

13.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.20 DOP 73.6

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.79 DOP 109

68.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.48 DOP 90.8

69.59%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.46 DOP 89.0

144.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$6.29 DOP 384

18.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$3.51 DOP 215

199.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$4.71 DOP 288

196.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.60 DOP 220

-34.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.38 DOP 84.2

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$3.37 DOP 206

42.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.82 DOP 111

-11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$3.50 DOP 214

8.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$2.82 DOP 173

30.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.94 DOP 57.5

20.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.58 DOP 96.4

68.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$4.68 DOP 286

10.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$8.44 DOP 516

135.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$3.00 DOP 184

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$3.30 DOP 202

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.79 DOP 47.99

41.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$2.48 DOP 152

-13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$3.24 DOP 198

-51.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.21 DOP 73.8

25.62%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.9K DOP 908.3K

45.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.8K DOP 1.6M

33.83%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$94.1 DOP 5,749

2.35%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.30 DOP 996

120.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$37.80 DOP 2,310

41.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$4.80 DOP 294

64.38%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$150 DOP 9,191

228.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,511 DOP 336.8K

115.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.75 DOP 1,635

101.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$44.85 DOP 2,741

23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$62.0 DOP 3,789

25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$64.6 DOP 3,948

23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$132 DOP 8,078

496.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$98.4 DOP 6,014

707.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$334 DOP 20.4K

1079.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$243 DOP 14.8K

484.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 Samana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Samana

$98 13.7% 87.6% $696

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Samana

$218 30.5% 38% $134

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Samana

$131 18.3% 38% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Samana

$148 20.7% 20.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Samana

$89 12.4% 25.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Samana

$9.6 * 1.3% 89% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Samana

$22 * 3% 75% $65

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 $132 in Samana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Samana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $218 – making Samana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Samana

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

108,179

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.11 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.43 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Samana 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Samana

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 Samana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $717 in Samana – roughly 157% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,075 in Samana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samana, 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 $41.00 in Samana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Samana, where all-in costs run around $717, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Samana 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 $717 in Samana 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 Samana. 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.