Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sutomore

For one person, living is cheaper in Sutomore: $1,095 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Sutomore
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Sutomore Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Sutomore

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sutomore

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,095 in Sutomore, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Sutomore $1,095

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,682 in Sutomore, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Sutomore $1,682

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,269 in Sutomore, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Sutomore $2,269

Nosara costs about 68% more than Sutomore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Sutomore is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$11.24 €10.00

9.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$35.96 €31.99

70.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.16 €8.14

-15.28%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.59 €2.30

71.43%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.20 €1.96

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.47 €1.31

-12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.85 €2.53

13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.44 €3.06

28.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.19 €1.06

30.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.01 €0.90

204.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.25 €2.00

12.44%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.08 €2.74

12.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.77 €7.80

-16.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.55 €6.71

35.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.24 €10.89

15.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.26 €1.12

81.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.49 €1.32

10.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.47 €1.31

225.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.87 €2.56

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.85 €0.75

352.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.09 €0.97

244.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.46 €1.30

-25.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.89 €0.79

191.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.85 €3.42

32.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.56 €4.05

336.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.24 €1.10

125.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.68 €1.50

109.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.65 €1.47

-26.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$38.44 €34.19

92.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.14 €1.01

90.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.14 €1.01

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$16.91 €15.04

-48.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.77 €1.57

-12.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.7K €25.5K

20.33%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$21.3K €18.9K

82.04%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$133 €118

-28.46%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$13.19 €11.73

174.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$33.34 €29.65

59.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$45.68 €40.63

61.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$14.42 €12.83

147.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.97 €5.31

32.50%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$395 €352

24.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,959 €6,190

70.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$84.5 €75.2

-35.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$33.24 €29.56

68.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$72.2 €64.2

11.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$93.0 €82.8

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$370 €329

116.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$275 €245

187.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$559 €497

616.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$494 €439

185.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,356 €2,985

110.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,300 €2,046

-46.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$669 €595

32.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sutomore: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Sutomore

$275 25.1% 65.2% $514

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Sutomore

$219 20% 37.3% $130

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Sutomore

$184 16.8% 13.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Sutomore

$179 16.4% 2.7% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Sutomore

$127 11.6% 5.2% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Sutomore

$58 5.3% 35.7% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Sutomore

$52 4.7% 41.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $370 in Sutomore. 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 32% 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 $36.00 in Sutomore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $219 – making Sutomore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇪 Sutomore

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

00:37 12:37 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sutomore 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sutomore

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 Sutomore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,095 in Sutomore – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,642 in Sutomore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 92% less in Sutomore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $395 in Sutomore. 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 Sutomore, where all-in costs run around $1,095, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Sutomore 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 $1,095 in Sutomore to $1,835 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 Sutomore. 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.