Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samana and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $717 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Samana
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Samana Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$717

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $717 per month in Samana vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Samana $717
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Samana vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Samana $1,173
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Samana vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Samana $1,629
Nosara $3,818

Samana is about 61% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Samana sits 47% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 DOP 489

$12.35 ₡5,550

-35.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.46 DOP 2,532

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-32.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.85 DOP 419

$7.52 ₡3,379

-8.91%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$4.41 ₡1,982

-58.96%

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

$0.71 DOP 43.29

$1.74 ₡781

-59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 DOP 24.82

$1.31 ₡588

-68.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 154

$3.28 ₡1,474

-23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 DOP 240

$4.47 ₡2,008

-11.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.5

$1.56 ₡702

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 DOP 109

$3.02 ₡1,358

-40.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 DOP 90.7

$2.51 ₡1,127

-41.04%

Eggs

$1.46 DOP 89.0

$3.57 ₡1,606

-59.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 DOP 384

$7.43 ₡3,340

-15.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 DOP 214

$10.52 ₡4,727

-66.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 DOP 288

$13.97 ₡6,277

-66.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 DOP 220

$2.35 ₡1,054

53.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 84.1

$1.61 ₡721

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 DOP 206

$4.80 ₡2,156

-29.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 DOP 111

$1.61 ₡725

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 DOP 213

$3.80 ₡1,706

-7.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 DOP 172

$3.69 ₡1,660

-23.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 57.5

$1.13 ₡508

-16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 DOP 96.4

$2.66 ₡1,193

-40.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 DOP 286

$5.18 ₡2,326

-9.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 DOP 515

$19.88 ₡8,934

-57.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 DOP 183

$2.90 ₡1,303

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 DOP 202

$3.63 ₡1,629

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 DOP 47.96

$1.12 ₡505

-29.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 DOP 152

$2.14 ₡960

15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 DOP 198

$1.57 ₡705

106.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 DOP 73.7

$1.52 ₡683

-20.39%

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

$14.9K DOP 907.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-31.22%

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

$25.8K DOP 1.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.28%

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

$94.1 DOP 5,746

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-2.30%

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

$16.30 DOP 995

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-54.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.80 DOP 2,309

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-29.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 DOP 293

$7.89 ₡3,546

-39.16%

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

$150 DOP 9,185

$494 ₡222.0K

-69.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,511 DOP 336.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-53.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.75 DOP 1,634

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-50.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.85 DOP 2,739

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-19.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 DOP 3,786

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-20.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 DOP 3,946

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-18.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 DOP 8,073

$788 ₡354.1K

-83.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$98.4 DOP 6,010

$794 ₡356.9K

-87.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 DOP 20.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-91.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 DOP 14.8K

$1,419 ₡637.7K

-82.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

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

Last update for Samana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samana

$218 30.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 61.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samana

$148 20.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 25.4% $38

Eating Out

Samana

$131 18.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 61.4% $81

Accommodation & Living

Samana

$98 13.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 707% $696

Clothing & Footwear

Samana

$89 12.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 34.6% $31

Getting Around

Samana

$22 * 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 299% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Samana

$9.6 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 809% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Samana 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Samana versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $352 – making Samana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Samana

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

2 h behind Samana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,179

4,912

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samana Nosara 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Samana
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

Samana vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $717 in Samana, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 157% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,075 per month in Samana 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 Samana, 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 $41.00 in Samana and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% 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 Samana, where all-in costs run around $717, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Samana 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 $717 in Samana 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 Samana. 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.