Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,122 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

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

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,122

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/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 $1,122 per month in Santo Domingo vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,122
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,761 per month in Santo Domingo vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,761
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,401 per month in Santo Domingo vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Santo Domingo $2,401
Nosara $3,712

Santo Domingo is about 39% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santo Domingo sits 16% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 DOP 622

$12.22 ₡5,509

-16.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 DOP 3,082

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-16.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.79 DOP 475

$7.54 ₡3,399

3.32%

Cappuccino

$2.23 DOP 136

$4.31 ₡1,941

-48.26%

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

$1.02 DOP 62.5

$1.72 ₡773

-40.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 DOP 33.14

$1.35 ₡608

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 DOP 156

$3.24 ₡1,459

-21.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 DOP 201

$4.48 ₡2,018

-26.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 DOP 81.1

$1.57 ₡707

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 DOP 91.5

$3.17 ₡1,429

-52.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 DOP 99.3

$2.42 ₡1,091

-32.64%

Eggs

$2.36 DOP 144

$3.57 ₡1,609

-33.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 DOP 451

$7.43 ₡3,349

-0.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 DOP 341

$10.42 ₡4,697

-46.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 DOP 409

$13.66 ₡6,156

-50.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 DOP 194

$2.32 ₡1,044

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 DOP 51.8

$1.61 ₡728

-47.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 DOP 168

$4.74 ₡2,138

-41.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 DOP 114

$1.66 ₡747

12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 DOP 127

$3.72 ₡1,679

-44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 DOP 137

$3.57 ₡1,611

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 DOP 63.1

$1.10 ₡497

-6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 DOP 59.0

$2.55 ₡1,149

-61.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 DOP 317

$4.95 ₡2,232

4.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 DOP 625

$20.01 ₡9,020

-48.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 DOP 154

$2.79 ₡1,256

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 DOP 181

$3.53 ₡1,589

-15.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 36.59

$1.19 ₡537

-49.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.04 DOP 1,101

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-74.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 DOP 205

$2.24 ₡1,011

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 DOP 135

$1.55 ₡701

42.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 DOP 348

$8.86 ₡3,993

-35.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 DOP 87.4

$1.57 ₡708

-8.92%

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

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

7.20%

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

$34.2K DOP 2.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-1.39%

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

$93.8 DOP 5,720

$93.5 ₡42.1K

0.34%

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

$31.81 DOP 1,940

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-9.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.01 DOP 2,258

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-28.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.96 DOP 1,828

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-58.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.22 DOP 1,477

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-31.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 DOP 445

$7.84 ₡3,535

-6.89%

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

$256 DOP 15.6K

$490 ₡220.7K

-47.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,297 DOP 445.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-38.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.66 DOP 2,785

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-14.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 DOP 2,855

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-16.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 DOP 5,373

$79.3 ₡35.7K

11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 DOP 7,691

$78.9 ₡35.6K

59.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 DOP 43.4K

$786 ₡354.3K

-9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 DOP 21.2K

$780 ₡351.6K

-55.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 DOP 88.5K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-62.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 DOP 38.0K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-55.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,205 DOP 134.5K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-68.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 DOP 73.4K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

0.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 DOP 36.0K

$876 ₡395.0K

-32.68%

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: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$348 31.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 124% $432

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$221 20%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 57.9% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$163 14.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 10.7% $17

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$138 12.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 12.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$45 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 95.4% $43

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$35 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 149% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $712 in Santo Domingo 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 49% 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 $51.0 in Santo Domingo versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $350 – making Santo Domingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

2 h behind Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

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 = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 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 DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Nosara 1,940 km ≈ 3 h 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: $1,122 in Santo Domingo, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,683 per month in Santo Domingo 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 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 300% less in Santo Domingo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $256 per month in Santo Domingo and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santo Domingo, where all-in costs run around $1,122, than in Nosara at $1,837. 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 $1,122 in Santo Domingo 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 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.