Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $660 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$660

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $660 per month in Santo Domingo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo $660
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,141 per month in Santo Domingo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,141
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Santo Domingo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,622
Nosara $3,818

Santo Domingo is about 64% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santo Domingo sits 51% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 $4.02

$12.35 ₡5,547

-67.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.2 $53.2

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-13.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$7.52 ₡3,377

21.54%

Cappuccino

$1.97 $1.97

$4.41 ₡1,981

-55.33%

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

$0.91 $0.91

$1.74 ₡781

-47.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.31 ₡588

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.28 ₡1,473

-39.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.47 ₡2,007

-6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ₡702

-36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.02 ₡1,357

-36.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.51 ₡1,127

-48.61%

Eggs

$1.99 $1.99

$3.57 ₡1,605

-44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$7.43 ₡3,338

-41.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$10.52 ₡4,724

-71.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$13.97 ₡6,274

-75.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.35 ₡1,054

-37.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.61 ₡721

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$4.80 ₡2,155

-79.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.61 ₡725

-44.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.80 ₡1,706

-74.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$3.69 ₡1,659

-73.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.13 ₡507

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.66 ₡1,193

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 $5.98

$5.18 ₡2,324

15.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$19.88 ₡8,929

-75.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.90 ₡1,302

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.63 ₡1,628

-41.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$1.12 ₡505

-67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.55 $17.55

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-75.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.14 ₡959

-35.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.57 ₡704

13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.05 $12.05

$8.52 ₡3,828

41.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.52 ₡683

-42.76%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-4.23%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-10.69%

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

$40.18 $40.18

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-58.27%

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

$9.86 $9.86

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.82 $22.82

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-57.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.64 $33.64

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-53.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 $16.85

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-51.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 $7.45

$7.89 ₡3,544

-5.58%

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

$371 $371

$494 ₡221.9K

-24.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,686 $5,686

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-52.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.91 $19.91

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-63.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.90 $29.90

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-46.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 $50.9

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-34.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.14 $49.14

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 $305

$788 ₡353.9K

-61.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 $191

$794 ₡356.7K

-75.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 $712

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-70.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-80.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$781 $781

$1,224 ₡549.8K

-36.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$404 $404

$864 ₡387.8K

-53.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.62

16.59%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$191 28.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 316% $604

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$144 21.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 145% $209

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$108 16.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 96.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$73 11%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 155% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$67 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 78.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$49 7.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 80% $39

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$29 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 198% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $305 in Santo Domingo 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 114% 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 $53.0 in Santo Domingo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $144 vs $352 – making Santo Domingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Nosara 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $660 in Santo Domingo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 178% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $991 per month in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 314% less in Santo Domingo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santo Domingo 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 $660 in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo. 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.