Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $980 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Targu Jiu

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $980 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Targu Jiu $980

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,514 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Targu Jiu $1,514

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,049 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Targu Jiu $2,049

Nosara costs about 87% more than Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Targu Jiu is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$14.97 RON 70.8

-17.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$57.1 RON 270

7.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.51 RON 35.54

3.33%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.46 RON 16.35

28.32%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.08 RON 5.10

65.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.24 RON 10.60

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.85 RON 18.19

-15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.33 RON 20.49

2.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.63 RON 7.71

-4.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.37 RON 6.47

124.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.76 RON 8.33

43.75%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.73 RON 12.90

26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$7.55 RON 35.70

-3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.88 RON 13.60

255.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.23 RON 34.23

95.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$0.97 RON 4.58

136.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.48 RON 7.00

10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.19 RON 5.63

302.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.24 RON 5.86

32.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.83 RON 3.93

363.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.79 RON 3.73

374.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.66 RON 3.12

65.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.52 RON 2.46

398.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.16 RON 24.39

-0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$3.01 RON 14.24

561.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.81 RON 3.82

245.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.03 RON 4.88

241.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.62 RON 2.91

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.60 RON 2.84

160.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.19 RON 29.27

40.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.89 RON 8.95

-17.99%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.9K RON 136.9K

19.36%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$25.8K RON 122.1K

50.10%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$195 RON 921

-51.27%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$5.97 RON 28.27

505.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$9.41 RON 44.54

463.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$31.87 RON 151

131.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.40 RON 39.75

-5.83%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$638 RON 3,018

-23.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.2K RON 67.0K

-16.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$50.9 RON 241

7.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$25.23 RON 119

121.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$53.6 RON 254

49.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$83.5 RON 395

-6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$348 RON 1,646

130.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$240 RON 1,136

228.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$481 RON 2,278

731.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$402 RON 1,901

250.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,538 RON 12.0K

178.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$530 RON 2,509

67.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Targu Jiu

$240 24.5% 69.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Targu Jiu

$156 16% 55.3% $193

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Targu Jiu

$225 23% 5.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Targu Jiu

$210 21.4% 14.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Targu Jiu

$96 9.8% 20.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Targu Jiu

$49 5% 45.7% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Targu Jiu

$3.6 * 0.4% 95.9% $85

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $348 in Targu Jiu. 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 67% 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 $57.0 in Targu Jiu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $156 – making Targu Jiu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

82,504

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Targu Jiu 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $980 in Targu Jiu – roughly 87% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,470 in Targu Jiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Jiu, 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 $57.0 in Targu Jiu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 124% 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 Targu Jiu, where all-in costs run around $980, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Targu Jiu 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 $980 in Targu Jiu 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 Targu Jiu. 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.