Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tivat and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tivat: $1,644 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tivat
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Tivat Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tivat

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,644

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,644 per month in Tivat vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Tivat $1,644
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Tivat vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Tivat $2,486
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,327 per month in Tivat vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Tivat $3,327
Nosara $3,818

Tivat is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tivat and Nosara sit above the global median – Tivat by 22%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 €9.91

$12.35 ₡5,539

-9.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.89 €39.93

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-26.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 €9.35

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.76%

Cappuccino

$2.23 €1.98

$4.41 ₡1,978

-49.43%

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

$2.57 €2.28

$1.74 ₡780

47.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.31 ₡587

10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 €2.77

$3.28 ₡1,471

-5.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$4.47 ₡2,004

-23.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.56 ₡701

-18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.51 ₡1,125

-21.12%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

-7.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 €7.52

$7.43 ₡3,333

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 €7.49

$10.52 ₡4,717

-19.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.33 €10.97

$13.97 ₡6,265

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.35 ₡1,052

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.61 ₡720

3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.61 ₡724

81.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$3.80 ₡1,703

-75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$3.69 ₡1,657

-70.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.13 ₡507

52.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 €3.78

$5.18 ₡2,321

-17.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.94

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.90 ₡1,300

-61.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.63 ₡1,626

-54.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.12 ₡504

50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.69 €35.31

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-45.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.14 ₡958

-47.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.57 ₡703

-27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 €9.98

$8.52 ₡3,823

31.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.52 ₡682

15.13%

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

$29.6K €26.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

36.83%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.11%

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

$128 €114

$96.3 ₡43.2K

32.85%

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

$14.97 €13.31

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.55 €29.84

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-37.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.68 €41.53

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.45 €13.74

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 €5.51

$7.89 ₡3,539

-21.42%

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

$405 €360

$494 ₡221.6K

-18.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,300 €6,494

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-38.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €76.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

60.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 €34.91

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 €86.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 €784

$788 ₡353.4K

11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$794 ₡356.2K

-0.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,973 €1,755

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-49.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 €1,270

$1,419 ₡636.5K

0.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 €5,260

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-14.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,342

$1,224 ₡549.0K

115.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,198 €1,066

$864 ₡387.3K

38.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.38

8.62

-37.59%

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

Last update for Tivat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tivat

$791 48.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0.4% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Tivat

$232 14.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 52.1% $121

Eating Out

Tivat

$186 11.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 14% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tivat

$176 10.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.3% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Tivat

$147 8.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Tivat

$59 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 47.9% $28

Getting Around

Tivat

$53 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 63.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $882 in Tivat 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 39% higher in Tivat, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Tivat versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $352 – making Tivat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Tivat

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

8 h behind Tivat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tivat Nosara 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tivat
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

Tivat vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,644 in Tivat, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,467 per month in Tivat 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 Tivat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Tivat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $405 per month in Tivat and $494 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 Tivat, where all-in costs run around $1,644, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tivat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tivat has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,644 in Tivat 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 Tivat. 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.