Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roseau and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Roseau: $1,253 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
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Roseau Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,253

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Roseau 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 Roseau and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,253 per month in Roseau vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Roseau $1,253
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,147 per month in Roseau vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Roseau $2,147
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,041 per month in Roseau vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Roseau $3,041
Nosara $3,712

Roseau is about 32% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Roseau sits 6% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.52 EC$20.31

$12.22 ₡5,509

-38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 EC$152

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-6.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 EC$17.88

$7.54 ₡3,399

-12.20%

Cappuccino

$4.01 EC$10.82

$4.31 ₡1,941

-6.96%

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

$2.49 EC$6.72

$1.72 ₡773

44.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 EC$6.14

$1.35 ₡608

68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 EC$5.14

$3.24 ₡1,459

-41.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 EC$6.82

$4.48 ₡2,018

-43.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.41 EC$9.21

$1.57 ₡707

117.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 EC$5.74

$3.17 ₡1,429

-32.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 EC$3.30

$2.42 ₡1,091

-49.59%

Eggs

$5.64 EC$15.22

$3.57 ₡1,609

57.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.54

$7.43 ₡3,349

-67.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 EC$29.73

$10.42 ₡4,697

5.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 EC$34.68

$13.66 ₡6,156

-6.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.28 EC$16.96

$2.32 ₡1,044

170.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 EC$6.45

$1.61 ₡728

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 EC$12.14

$4.74 ₡2,138

-5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 EC$14.05

$1.66 ₡747

213.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 EC$9.52

$3.72 ₡1,679

-5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 EC$8.21

$3.57 ₡1,611

-14.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 EC$5.61

$1.10 ₡497

89.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 EC$6.94

$2.55 ₡1,149

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.44 EC$20.08

$4.95 ₡2,232

50.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.08 EC$29.92

$20.01 ₡9,020

-44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 EC$7.38

$2.79 ₡1,256

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 EC$8.29

$3.53 ₡1,589

-13.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 EC$4.92

$1.19 ₡537

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.4 EC$144

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-25.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 EC$14.55

$2.24 ₡1,011

140.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 EC$8.03

$1.55 ₡701

91.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 EC$28.02

$8.86 ₡3,993

17.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 EC$3.75

$1.57 ₡708

-11.46%

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

$34.8K EC$93.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

59.58%

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

$30.0K EC$80.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-13.46%

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

$141 EC$381

$93.5 ₡42.1K

50.82%

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

$43.95 EC$119

$35.11 ₡15.8K

25.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 EC$191

$51.5 ₡23.2K

37.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.16 EC$127

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-33.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.28 EC$60.2

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-37.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.38 EC$22.62

$7.84 ₡3,535

6.89%

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

$129 EC$349

$490 ₡220.7K

-73.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,414 EC$11.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-62.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 EC$150

$53.5 ₡24.1K

3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.98 EC$99.9

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-33.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 EC$201

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 EC$247

$78.9 ₡35.6K

16.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 EC$759

$786 ₡354.3K

-64.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 EC$542

$780 ₡351.6K

-74.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 EC$2,407

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-76.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 EC$1,714

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-54.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$121 EC$328

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-98.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$56.6 EC$153

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-95.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$489 EC$1,320

$876 ₡395.0K

-44.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

8.62

-11.83%

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

Last update for Roseau: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roseau

$371 29.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 5.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roseau

$256 20.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 29.6% $76

Accommodation & Living

Roseau

$201 16.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 289% $579

Eating Out

Roseau

$162 12.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 29.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Roseau

$116 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Roseau

$81 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.4% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Roseau

$64 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $281 in Roseau versus $786 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 79% 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 $56.0 in Roseau versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Roseau vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Roseau

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

2 h behind Roseau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roseau Nosara 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Roseau
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

Roseau vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,253 in Roseau, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,880 per month in Roseau and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 35% less in Roseau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $129 per month in Roseau and $490 in Nosara. 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 Roseau, where all-in costs run around $1,253, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Roseau 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 $1,253 in Roseau to $1,837 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 Roseau. 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.