Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulcinj and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulcinj: $1,200 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ulcinj
🇲🇪 Montenegro
$1,200
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,200 per month in Ulcinj vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Ulcinj $1,200
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,919 per month in Ulcinj vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Ulcinj $1,919
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,639 per month in Ulcinj vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Ulcinj $2,639
  • Nosara $3,818

Ulcinj is about 35% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ulcinj sits 11% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.29 €10.05
$12.35 ₡5,539
-8.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.99 €32.01
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-41.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.93 €7.05
$7.52 ₡3,373
5.45%
Cappuccino
$2.19 €1.95
$4.41 ₡1,978
-50.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.74 ₡780
24.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 €1.44
$1.31 ₡587
23.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 €2.04
$3.28 ₡1,471
-30.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 €3.07
$4.47 ₡2,004
-22.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.02
$1.56 ₡701
-26.28%
White Bread (500g)
$0.65 €0.58
$3.02 ₡1,355
-78.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.80 €2.49
$2.51 ₡1,125
11.55%
Eggs
$1.88 €1.68
$3.57 ₡1,603
-47.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 €8.09
$7.43 ₡3,333
22.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.16 €6.37
$10.52 ₡4,717
-31.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.51 €11.13
$13.97 ₡6,265
-10.45%
Apples (1kg)
$1.34 €1.19
$2.35 ₡1,052
-42.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.61 ₡720
-4.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.96 €0.85
$4.80 ₡2,152
-80.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$1.61 ₡724
-28.57%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 €0.67
$3.80 ₡1,703
-80.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 €1.11
$3.69 ₡1,657
-66.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.13 ₡507
30.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 €0.77
$2.66 ₡1,191
-67.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.02 €3.57
$5.18 ₡2,321
-22.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.35 €3.87
$19.88 ₡8,916
-78.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$2.90 ₡1,300
-55.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 €1.52
$3.63 ₡1,626
-53.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.48 €1.31
$1.12 ₡504
32.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.75 €36.25
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-43.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 €1.01
$2.14 ₡958
-46.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.57 ₡703
-27.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.70 €14.85
$8.52 ₡3,823
96.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.52 ₡682
3.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.7K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
49.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K €18.6K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-39.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 €116
$96.3 ₡43.2K
36.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.95 €11.52
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-63.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.21 €22.42
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-52.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.26 €19.80
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-68.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.56 €12.95
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-58.29%
Cinema Ticket
$7.85 €6.98
$7.89 ₡3,539
-0.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 €403
$494 ₡221.6K
-8.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,812 €6,059
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-42.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.9 €73.7
$53.9 ₡24.2K
53.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.67 €29.95
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-39.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.4 €64.4
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-7.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.1 €82.8
$79.6 ₡35.7K
16.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 €641
$788 ₡353.4K
-8.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 €388
$794 ₡356.2K
-45.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 €1,300
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-62.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$973 €865
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-31.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,319 €2,952
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-51.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,321 €2,065
$1,224 ₡549.0K
89.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ulcinj
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
8.62
-42.00%

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

Last update for Ulcinj: 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
Ulcinj
$436
Nosara
$794 82.1% $358
Groceries & Markets
Ulcinj
$202
Nosara
$352 74.1% $150
Eating Out
Ulcinj
$174
Nosara
$212 21.8% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulcinj
$169
Nosara
$186 9.8% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Ulcinj
$127
Nosara
$120 5.4% $6.8
Getting Around
Ulcinj
$54
Nosara
$87 62.8% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Ulcinj
$38
Nosara
$87 130% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Ulcinj 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 $36.00 in Ulcinj versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $352 – making Ulcinj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇪 Ulcinj
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
07:50 7:50 AM
23:50 11:50 PM
8 h behind Ulcinj
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,707
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ulcinj Nosara 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ulcinj
  • 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
Ulcinj vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ulcinj and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,200 in Ulcinj, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ulcinj compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,800 per month in Ulcinj and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ulcinj and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulcinj, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Ulcinj and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 78% less in Ulcinj. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ulcinj and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $453 per month in Ulcinj and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulcinj, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ulcinj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ulcinj and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,200 in Ulcinj to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ulcinj or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Ulcinj and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Ulcinj. 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.

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