Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $652 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ungheni

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $652 in Ungheni, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ungheni $652

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,019 in Ungheni, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ungheni $1,019

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,385 in Ungheni, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ungheni $1,385

Nosara costs about 182% more than Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ungheni is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.49 MDL 133

64.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.20 MDL 394

175.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.57 MDL 117

14.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.42 MDL 25.24

210.56%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.70 MDL 12.36

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.44 MDL 7.79

197.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.99 MDL 17.59

231.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.42 MDL 25.24

214.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.71 MDL 30.30

-8.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.35 MDL 6.27

762.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.87 MDL 15.51

188.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.89 MDL 33.57

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.15 MDL 180

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.99 MDL 70.9

163.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.17 MDL 145

70.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$0.44 MDL 7.78

434.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.25 MDL 22.13

28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.08 MDL 19.25

344.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.14 MDL 20.18

41.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.47 MDL 8.36

708.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.35 MDL 6.23

954.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.21 MDL 39.33

-48.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.77 MDL 13.61

245.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.37 MDL 59.8

53.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.12 MDL 73.2

382.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.43 MDL 25.46

102.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.63 MDL 28.97

122.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.36 MDL 6.34

211.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.64 MDL 29.17

30.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.38 MDL 6.72

313.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.71 MDL 66.0

129.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.36 MDL 24.13

11.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.2K MDL 358.3K

71.11%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$136 MDL 2,422

-29.38%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.08 MDL 197

223.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$15.88 MDL 282

237.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$14.19 MDL 252

404.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.88 MDL 69.0

103.35%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$47.80 MDL 849

12.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.72 MDL 297

231.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$34.18 MDL 607

127.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$68.3 MDL 1,213

16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$251 MDL 4,449

214.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$113 MDL 2,003

604.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$333 MDL 5,909

1083.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$277 MDL 4,914

412.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,280 MDL 40.5K

203.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,706 MDL 30.3K

-28.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$552 MDL 9,805

56.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.75%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ungheni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ungheni

$113 17.3% 85.8% $682

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ungheni

$165 25.3% 53.1% $187

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ungheni

$109 16.7% 48.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ungheni

$163 25% 12.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ungheni

$75 11.5% 37.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ungheni

$22 3.4% 74.9% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 94.3% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $251 in Ungheni. 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 56% 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 $22.00 in Ungheni. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $165 – making Ungheni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

03:02 3:02 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

38,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ungheni 10,900 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $652 in Ungheni – roughly 182% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $978 in Ungheni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ungheni, 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 $22.00 in Ungheni. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $652 in Ungheni. That's a gap of about 182%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ungheni, where all-in costs run around $652, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ungheni 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 $652 in Ungheni 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 Ungheni. 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.