Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Cruz del Seibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz del Seibo: $664 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Santa Cruz del Seibo
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$664
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santa Cruz del Seibo

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 Santa Cruz del Seibo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $664 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • Santa Cruz del Seibo $664

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,046 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • Santa Cruz del Seibo $1,046

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,427 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • Santa Cruz del Seibo $1,427

Nosara costs about 177% more than Santa Cruz del Seibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Santa Cruz del Seibo is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$8.32 DOP 508
46.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$41.44 DOP 2,528
45.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$5.07 DOP 309
48.72%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$1.79 DOP 109
140.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$0.69 DOP 41.85
149.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$0.39 DOP 23.53
246.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$2.48 DOP 152
30.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$4.09 DOP 249
9.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$1.22 DOP 74.6
28.69%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$1.77 DOP 108
79.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$1.58 DOP 96.6
53.16%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$1.51 DOP 91.8
136.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$6.52 DOP 397
13.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$3.56 DOP 217
192.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$4.89 DOP 298
179.35%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$3.65 DOP 223
-36.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$1.40 DOP 85.3
15.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$3.30 DOP 201
43.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$2.20 DOP 134
-24.55%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$3.57 DOP 218
4.20%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$3.00 DOP 183
19.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$0.95 DOP 58.1
15.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$1.70 DOP 104
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$5.01 DOP 306
-1.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$16.71 DOP 1,019
19.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$2.95 DOP 180
-5.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$3.43 DOP 209
2.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$2.50 DOP 152
-10.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$3.44 DOP 210
-54.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$1.41 DOP 86.2
11.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$15.4K DOP 937.2K
41.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$25.8K DOP 1.6M
34.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$95.2 DOP 5,808
-1.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$27.16 DOP 1,656
29.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$39.34 DOP 2,399
30.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$5.08 DOP 310
54.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$154 DOP 9,398
217.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$5,436 DOP 331.6K
118.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$26.70 DOP 1,629
100.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$45.52 DOP 2,776
22.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$63.0 DOP 3,840
25.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$66.3 DOP 4,045
18.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Santa Cruz del Seibo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
11
-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz del Seibo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Santa Cruz del Seibo
–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $241 – making Santa Cruz del Seibo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇩🇴 Santa Cruz del Seibo
🕒 Local time
21:56 9:56 PM
23:56 11:56 PM
2 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
23,547
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Santa Cruz del Seibo 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Santa Cruz del Seibo

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 Santa Cruz del Seibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Santa Cruz del Seibo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $664 in Santa Cruz del Seibo – roughly 177% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Santa Cruz del Seibo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $996 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $41.00 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 45% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz del Seibo, where all-in costs run around $664, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Santa Cruz del Seibo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Santa Cruz del Seibo?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $664 in Santa Cruz del Seibo to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Santa Cruz del Seibo safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Santa Cruz del Seibo?
If budget matters most, go with Santa Cruz del Seibo. 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.

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