Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roman and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
Learn more

Roman Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Roman and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Roman and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $840 per month in Roman vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Roman $840
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,393 per month in Roman vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Roman $1,393
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,946 per month in Roman vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Roman $1,946
Nosara $3,818

Roman is about 54% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Roman sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$12.35 ₡5,539

-15.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.99 RON 161

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-44.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 RON 34.59

$7.52 ₡3,373

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$2.43 RON 11.49

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.90%

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

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.74 ₡780

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.03

$1.31 ₡587

-19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.69

$3.28 ₡1,471

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 RON 10.29

$4.47 ₡2,004

-51.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$3.02 ₡1,355

-78.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$2.51 ₡1,125

-43.03%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.65

$3.57 ₡1,603

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 RON 35.72

$7.43 ₡3,333

1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RON 27.05

$10.52 ₡4,717

-45.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 RON 40.85

$13.97 ₡6,265

-38.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$2.35 ₡1,052

-54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.15

$1.61 ₡720

-6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.61 ₡724

8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$3.80 ₡1,703

-81.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$3.69 ₡1,657

-76.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.13 ₡507

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.41

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 RON 26.58

$5.18 ₡2,321

8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 RON 25.25

$19.88 ₡8,916

-73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$2.90 ₡1,300

-66.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$3.63 ₡1,626

-67.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$1.12 ₡504

-32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.67 RON 103

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-70.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$2.14 ₡958

-69.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$1.57 ₡703

-59.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 RON 33.30

$8.52 ₡3,823

-17.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.22

$1.52 ₡682

14.47%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.19%

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

$25.1K RON 118.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.37%

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

$146 RON 691

$96.3 ₡43.2K

51.61%

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

$6.96 RON 32.93

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-80.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 RON 36.88

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-85.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 RON 176

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-48.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 RON 94.9

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 RON 30.40

$7.89 ₡3,539

-18.63%

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

$295 RON 1,397

$494 ₡221.6K

-40.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,901 RON 23.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-58.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 RON 456

$53.9 ₡24.2K

78.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.51 RON 121

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-53.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 RON 290

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 RON 274

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-27.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 RON 1,008

$788 ₡353.4K

-72.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 RON 745

$794 ₡356.2K

-80.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 RON 2,863

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-84.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 RON 2,146

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-68.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 RON 8,812

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-73.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 RON 6,413

$1,224 ₡549.0K

10.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$820 RON 3,880

$864 ₡387.3K

-5.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.62

-16.47%

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

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roman

$176 20.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 101% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roman

$161 19.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 15.6% $25

Eating Out

Roman

$159 18.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.4% $53

Accommodation & Living

Roman

$157 18.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 405% $637

Clothing & Footwear

Roman

$109 12.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Roman

$50 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 74.9% $37

Getting Around

Roman

$29 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 205% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $213 in Roman versus $788 in Nosara. 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 5% 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 $34.00 in Roman versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $352 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Roman

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

9 h behind Roman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,328

4,912

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

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).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roman Nosara 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Roman
Nosara

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

Roman vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $840 in Roman, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,259 per month in Roman and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 235% less in Roman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $295 per month in Roman and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Roman 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 $840 in Roman 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 Roman. 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.