Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,122 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santo Domingo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,122 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Santo Domingo $1,122

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,761 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Santo Domingo $1,761

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,401 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Santo Domingo $2,401

Nosara costs about 64% more than Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Santo Domingo is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$10.19 DOP 622

19.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$50.5 DOP 3,082

19.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.79 DOP 475

-3.21%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.23 DOP 136

93.27%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.02 DOP 62.5

68.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.54 DOP 33.14

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.55 DOP 156

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.30 DOP 201

35.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.33 DOP 81.1

18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.50 DOP 91.5

111.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.63 DOP 99.3

48.47%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.36 DOP 144

51.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.40 DOP 451

0.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.59 DOP 341

86.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.71 DOP 409

103.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.19 DOP 194

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.85 DOP 51.8

89.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.76 DOP 168

71.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.86 DOP 114

-10.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.07 DOP 127

79.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.25 DOP 137

58.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.03 DOP 63.1

6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.97 DOP 59.0

162.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.19 DOP 317

-4.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.24 DOP 625

95.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.53 DOP 154

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.97 DOP 181

18.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.60 DOP 36.59

98.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$18.04 DOP 1,101

299.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.36 DOP 205

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.21 DOP 135

-29.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.71 DOP 348

55.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.43 DOP 87.4

9.79%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

-6.72%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.2K DOP 2.1M

1.41%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$93.8 DOP 5,720

-0.34%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$31.81 DOP 1,940

10.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$37.01 DOP 2,258

39.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$29.96 DOP 1,828

138.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$24.22 DOP 1,477

46.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.30 DOP 445

7.40%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$256 DOP 15.6K

91.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,297 DOP 445.1K

62.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$45.66 DOP 2,785

17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$46.81 DOP 2,855

19.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$88.1 DOP 5,373

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$126 DOP 7,691

-37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$712 DOP 43.4K

10.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$348 DOP 21.2K

123.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,451 DOP 88.5K

165.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$622 DOP 38.0K

126.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,205 DOP 134.5K

216.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,203 DOP 73.4K

-0.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$590 DOP 36.0K

48.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.56

-36.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Santo Domingo

$348 31.5% 55.4% $432

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Santo Domingo

$221 20% 36.6% $128

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2% 24.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Santo Domingo

$163 14.7% 9.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Santo Domingo

$138 12.5% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santo Domingo

$45 4% 48.8% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santo Domingo

$35 3.2% 59.9% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $712 in Santo Domingo. 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 49% 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 $51.0 in Santo Domingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $221 – making Santo Domingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

22:53 10:53 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santo Domingo 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santo Domingo

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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,122 in Santo Domingo – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,683 in Santo Domingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 300% less in Santo Domingo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $256 in Santo Domingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santo Domingo, where all-in costs run around $1,122, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Santo Domingo 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 $1,122 in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo. 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.