Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Vulcanesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Vulcanesti: $766 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Vulcanesti
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Vulcanesti Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Vulcanesti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Vulcanesti

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $766 in Vulcanesti, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Vulcanesti $766

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,130 in Vulcanesti, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Vulcanesti $1,130

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,494 in Vulcanesti, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Vulcanesti $1,494

Nosara costs about 140% more than Vulcanesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Vulcanesti is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.61 MDL 117

86.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$29.79 MDL 529

105.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.38 MDL 184

-27.55%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.14 MDL 20.21

286.84%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.81 MDL 14.46

114.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.37 MDL 6.61

254.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.10 MDL 19.61

198.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.42 MDL 25.27

214.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.93 MDL 16.59

67.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.46 MDL 8.19

556.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.65 MDL 29.22

52.12%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.24 MDL 39.72

59.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.68 MDL 119

11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.70 MDL 83.5

123.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.24 MDL 146

69.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.24 MDL 22.09

89.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.71 MDL 30.34

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.75 MDL 31.01

174.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.84 MDL 32.63

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.64 MDL 11.42

493.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.33 MDL 5.79

1018.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.13 MDL 37.75

-46.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.41 MDL 7.22

548.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.39 MDL 60.2

52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$2.42 MDL 42.91

721.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.88 MDL 15.65

229.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.25 MDL 22.20

190.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.33 MDL 5.83

239.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.11 MDL 19.66

92.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.19 MDL 3.34

726.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.29 MDL 58.4

158.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 MDL 21.95

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.2K MDL 412.2K

-6.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.7K MDL 366.8K

67.11%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$104 MDL 1,855

-7.82%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.15 MDL 91.6

596.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$5.53 MDL 98.3

869.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$16.80 MDL 298

326.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.70 MDL 137

2.47%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$113 MDL 2,003

338.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,159 MDL 91.6K

129.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$30.51 MDL 542

76.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.59 MDL 455

116.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.3 MDL 1,461

-5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$138 MDL 2,443

-42.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$277 MDL 4,913

184.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$222 MDL 3,946

257.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$285 MDL 5,053

398.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$868 MDL 15.4K

696.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$852 MDL 15.1K

43.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$705 MDL 12.5K

22.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.5

14.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vulcanesti: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Vulcanesti

$222 29% 72% $572

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Vulcanesti

$158 20.6% 55.1% $194

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Vulcanesti

$111 14.5% 47.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Vulcanesti

$115 15% 38% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Vulcanesti

$124 16.2% 3.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Vulcanesti

$32 4.2% 63.1% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Vulcanesti

$3.4 * 0.4% 96.1% $84

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 $277 in Vulcanesti. 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 22% 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 $30.00 in Vulcanesti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $158 – making Vulcanesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇩 Vulcanesti

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

22,000

💱 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 Vulcanesti 11,010 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Vulcanesti

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 Vulcanesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $766 in Vulcanesti – roughly 140% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,149 in Vulcanesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vulcanesti, 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 $30.00 in Vulcanesti. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 123% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vulcanesti, where all-in costs run around $766, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vulcanesti 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 $766 in Vulcanesti 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 Vulcanesti. 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.