Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santiago de los Caballeros

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de los Caballeros: $914 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de los Caballeros
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Santiago de los Caballeros Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santiago de los Caballeros

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santiago de los Caballeros

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 Santiago de los Caballeros actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $914 in Santiago de los Caballeros, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santiago de los Caballeros $914

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,405 in Santiago de los Caballeros, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santiago de los Caballeros $1,405

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,896 in Santiago de los Caballeros, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santiago de los Caballeros $1,896

Nosara costs about 101% more than Santiago de los Caballeros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Santiago de los Caballeros is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.05 DOP 493

53.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.71 DOP 2,494

50.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.97 DOP 427

7.89%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.77 DOP 108

149.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.71 DOP 43.29

145.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.38 DOP 23.10

244.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.44 DOP 149

34.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.25 DOP 199

37.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.15 DOP 70.7

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.52 DOP 93.1

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.55 DOP 95.1

61.94%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.49 DOP 91.3

139.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.29 DOP 385

18.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.59 DOP 220

193.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.84 DOP 297

188.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.13 DOP 192

-24.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.82 DOP 50.1

96.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.74 DOP 168

75.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.79 DOP 110

-10.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.95 DOP 120

94.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.15 DOP 132

71.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 DOP 53.5

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.98 DOP 60.3

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.83 DOP 296

7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.46 DOP 641

90.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.54 DOP 155

14.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.88 DOP 176

26.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.61 DOP 37.22

83.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$29.59 DOP 1,813

145.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.48 DOP 152

-13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.28 DOP 140

-31.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.80 DOP 355

46.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.41 DOP 86.6

7.80%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$15.0K DOP 919.9K

43.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

38.00%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$90.7 DOP 5,555

6.19%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$26.72 DOP 1,637

34.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$35.93 DOP 2,201

49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$24.92 DOP 1,526

187.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.01 DOP 307

57.49%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$147 DOP 8,992

236.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,532 DOP 338.9K

114.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$25.95 DOP 1,590

107.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$44.59 DOP 2,732

24.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$60.9 DOP 3,730

27.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$65.3 DOP 4,001

21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$664 DOP 40.7K

18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$266 DOP 16.3K

198.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,471 DOP 90.1K

167.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$457 DOP 28.0K

210.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$947 DOP 58.0K

629.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$886 DOP 54.3K

38.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$522 DOP 32.0K

65.36%

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 Santiago de los Caballeros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$266 29.1% 66.5% $528

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$196 21.4% 44.5% $157

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$130 14.2% 38.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$153 16.8% 17.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$89 9.7% 26.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$35 3.8% 60% $52

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$46 5% 47.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $664 in Santiago de los Caballeros. 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 65% 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 $41.00 in Santiago de los Caballeros. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $196 – making Santiago de los Caballeros the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Santiago de los Caballeros

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,836,778

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santiago de los Caballeros 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santiago de los Caballeros

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 Santiago de los Caballeros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $914 in Santiago de los Caballeros – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,371 in Santiago de los Caballeros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 145% less in Santiago de los Caballeros. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $147 in Santiago de los Caballeros. 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 Santiago de los Caballeros, where all-in costs run around $914, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santiago de los Caballeros 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 $914 in Santiago de los Caballeros 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 Santiago de los Caballeros. 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.