Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo Este and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $643 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Santo Domingo Este vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo Este $643
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,043 per month in Santo Domingo Este vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo Este $1,043
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in Santo Domingo Este vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo Este $1,442
Nosara $3,818

Santo Domingo Este is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santo Domingo Este sits 52% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 DOP 310

$12.35 ₡5,539

-59.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.96 DOP 2,509

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 DOP 399

$7.52 ₡3,373

-13.43%

Cappuccino

$1.00 DOP 61.3

$4.41 ₡1,978

-77.32%

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

$1.04 DOP 63.8

$1.74 ₡780

-40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 DOP 36.58

$1.31 ₡587

-54.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 DOP 147

$3.28 ₡1,471

-26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 DOP 193

$4.47 ₡2,004

-29.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 DOP 81.9

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 DOP 90.0

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 DOP 97.5

$2.51 ₡1,125

-36.65%

Eggs

$2.29 DOP 141

$3.57 ₡1,603

-35.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 DOP 441

$7.43 ₡3,333

-3.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 DOP 348

$10.52 ₡4,717

-46.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 DOP 411

$13.97 ₡6,265

-52.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 DOP 189

$2.35 ₡1,052

31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 DOP 51.4

$1.61 ₡720

-47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 DOP 167

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 DOP 115

$1.61 ₡724

16.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 DOP 121

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 DOP 137

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 DOP 62.7

$1.13 ₡507

-9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 DOP 58.3

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 DOP 328

$5.18 ₡2,321

3.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 DOP 635

$19.88 ₡8,916

-47.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 DOP 159

$2.90 ₡1,300

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 DOP 182

$3.63 ₡1,626

-18.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 DOP 201

$2.14 ₡958

53.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 DOP 135

$1.57 ₡703

40.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 DOP 346

$8.52 ₡3,823

-33.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 DOP 79.3

$1.52 ₡682

-15.13%

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

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

5.88%

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

$33.8K DOP 2.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-2.04%

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

$93.6 DOP 5,735

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-2.77%

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

$32.04 DOP 1,963

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-10.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.97 DOP 2,204

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-32.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 DOP 459

$7.89 ₡3,539

-5.07%

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

$251 DOP 15.4K

$494 ₡221.6K

-49.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,405 DOP 453.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-37.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.98 DOP 2,817

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 DOP 2,787

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 DOP 5,356

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 DOP 7,425

$79.6 ₡35.7K

52.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 DOP 36.3K

$864 ₡387.3K

-31.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

8.62

57.31%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo Este

$220 34.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 60.1% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo Este

$162 25.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo Este

$135 21%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.1% $15

Eating Out

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 119% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo Este

$15 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 483% $72

Getting Around

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 510% $73

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 46% 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 $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $352 – making Santo Domingo Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

2 h behind Santo Domingo Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,230

4,912

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

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).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Este Nosara 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $643 in Santo Domingo Este, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 186% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $964 per month in Santo Domingo Este and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este 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 60% 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 Santo Domingo Este, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santo Domingo Este 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 $643 in Santo Domingo Este 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 Este. 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.