Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sosua and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sosua: $1,419 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sosua
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Sosua Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sosua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,419

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,419 per month in Sosua vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sosua $1,419
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,218 per month in Sosua vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sosua $2,218
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,018 per month in Sosua vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sosua $3,018
Nosara $3,818

Sosua is about 23% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sosua and Nosara sit above the global median – Sosua by 5%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 DOP 609

$12.35 ₡5,550

-19.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.89 DOP 2,986

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-20.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 DOP 454

$7.52 ₡3,379

-1.06%

Cappuccino

$2.20 DOP 135

$4.41 ₡1,982

-50.11%

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

$1.05 DOP 64.4

$1.74 ₡781

-39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 DOP 35.55

$1.31 ₡588

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 154

$3.28 ₡1,474

-23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 DOP 202

$4.47 ₡2,008

-25.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 DOP 81.2

$1.56 ₡702

-14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 DOP 94.0

$3.02 ₡1,358

-49.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 DOP 38.63

$2.51 ₡1,127

-74.90%

Eggs

$1.99 DOP 121

$3.57 ₡1,606

-44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 DOP 435

$7.43 ₡3,340

-4.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 DOP 339

$10.52 ₡4,727

-47.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 DOP 413

$13.97 ₡6,277

-51.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 DOP 186

$2.35 ₡1,054

29.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 DOP 50.6

$1.61 ₡721

-48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 DOP 169

$4.80 ₡2,156

-42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 DOP 79.3

$1.61 ₡725

-19.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 DOP 102

$3.80 ₡1,706

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 DOP 130

$3.69 ₡1,660

-42.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 DOP 41.72

$1.13 ₡508

-39.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 DOP 25.73

$2.66 ₡1,193

-84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 DOP 331

$5.18 ₡2,326

4.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 DOP 617

$19.88 ₡8,934

-49.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 DOP 153

$2.90 ₡1,303

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 DOP 144

$3.63 ₡1,629

-34.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 DOP 195

$2.14 ₡960

49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 DOP 139

$1.57 ₡705

45.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 DOP 360

$8.52 ₡3,830

-30.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 DOP 74.9

$1.52 ₡683

-19.08%

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

$23.1K DOP 1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

7.00%

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

$33.6K DOP 2.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-2.67%

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

$65.6 DOP 4,008

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-31.85%

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

$28.03 DOP 1,712

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-21.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.48 DOP 2,045

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-37.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 DOP 443

$7.89 ₡3,546

-8.11%

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

$249 DOP 15.2K

$494 ₡222.0K

-49.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,322 DOP 447.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-38.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.41 DOP 2,773

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-15.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.44 DOP 2,775

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-17.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 DOP 5,253

$77.9 ₡35.0K

10.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 DOP 7,641

$79.6 ₡35.8K

57.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 DOP 52.0K

$788 ₡354.1K

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 DOP 47.1K

$794 ₡356.9K

-2.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 DOP 104.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 DOP 90.8K

$1,419 ₡637.7K

4.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,796 DOP 109.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-74.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,727 DOP 105.5K

$1,224 ₡550.0K

41.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 Sosua: 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

Sosua

$771 54.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sosua

$201 14.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 75.3% $151

Eating Out

Sosua

$154 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sosua

$136 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sosua

$127 9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 46.1% $59

Getting Around

Sosua

$15 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 498% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Sosua

$15 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 503% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Sosua 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 $49.00 in Sosua versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $352 – making Sosua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Sosua

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

2 h behind Sosua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,713

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

Sosua Nosara 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sosua
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

Sosua vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,419 in Sosua, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,128 per month in Sosua 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 Sosua, 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 $49.00 in Sosua 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 75% 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 Sosua, where all-in costs run around $1,419, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sosua 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 $1,419 in Sosua 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 Sosua. 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.