Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ungheni and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $652 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
Learn more

Ungheni Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$652

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $652 per month in Ungheni vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ungheni $652
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,019 per month in Ungheni vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ungheni $1,019
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Ungheni vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ungheni $1,385
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.49 MDL 133

$12.35 ₡5,539

-39.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.20 MDL 394

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 MDL 117

$7.52 ₡3,373

-12.63%

Cappuccino

$1.42 MDL 25.24

$4.41 ₡1,978

-67.80%

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

$0.70 MDL 12.36

$1.74 ₡780

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MDL 7.79

$1.31 ₡587

-66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 MDL 17.59

$3.28 ₡1,471

-69.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MDL 25.24

$4.47 ₡2,004

-68.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MDL 30.30

$1.56 ₡701

9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.35 MDL 6.27

$3.02 ₡1,355

-88.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 MDL 15.51

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.34%

Eggs

$1.89 MDL 33.57

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 MDL 180

$7.43 ₡3,333

36.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 MDL 70.9

$10.52 ₡4,717

-62.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.17 MDL 145

$13.97 ₡6,265

-41.52%

Apples (1kg)

$0.44 MDL 7.78

$2.35 ₡1,052

-81.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 MDL 22.13

$1.61 ₡720

-22.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 MDL 19.25

$4.80 ₡2,152

-77.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 MDL 20.18

$1.61 ₡724

-29.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 MDL 8.36

$3.80 ₡1,703

-87.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 MDL 6.23

$3.69 ₡1,657

-90.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 MDL 39.33

$1.13 ₡507

95.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MDL 13.61

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 MDL 59.8

$5.18 ₡2,321

-34.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.12 MDL 73.2

$19.88 ₡8,916

-79.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MDL 25.46

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MDL 28.97

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MDL 6.34

$1.12 ₡504

-67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 MDL 29.17

$2.14 ₡958

-23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MDL 6.72

$1.57 ₡703

-75.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 MDL 66.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

-56.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MDL 24.13

$1.52 ₡682

-10.53%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$20.2K MDL 358.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.56%

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

$136 MDL 2,422

$96.3 ₡43.2K

41.60%

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

$11.08 MDL 197

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-69.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.88 MDL 282

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-70.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.19 MDL 252

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-80.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.88 MDL 69.0

$7.89 ₡3,539

-50.82%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.80 MDL 849

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-11.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.72 MDL 297

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-69.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$34.18 MDL 607

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-56.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 MDL 1,213

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-14.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 MDL 4,449

$788 ₡353.4K

-68.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 MDL 2,003

$794 ₡356.2K

-85.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 MDL 5,909

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-91.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 MDL 4,914

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-80.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,280 MDL 40.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-67.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,706 MDL 30.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

39.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 MDL 9,805

$864 ₡387.3K

-36.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-7.19%

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

Last update for Ungheni: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ungheni

$165 25.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 113% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ungheni

$163 25%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 13.7% $22

Accommodation & Living

Ungheni

$113 17.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 604% $682

Eating Out

Ungheni

$109 16.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 94.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Ungheni

$75 11.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 59.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ungheni

$22 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 298% $65

Getting Around

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1656% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Ungheni 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 56% 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 $22.00 in Ungheni versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $352 – making Ungheni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

20:28 8:28 PM

9 h behind Ungheni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 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 MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ungheni Nosara 10,900 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ungheni
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

Ungheni vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $652 in Ungheni, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 182% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $978 per month in Ungheni 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 Ungheni, 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 $22.00 in Ungheni and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $652 in Ungheni and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 182%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ungheni, where all-in costs run around $652, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ungheni 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 $652 in Ungheni 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 Ungheni. 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.