Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alhambra, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,606 in Alhambra, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Alhambra, CA
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Alhambra, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alhambra, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,606

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,606 in Alhambra, CA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Alhambra, CA $3,606
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,604 in Alhambra, CA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Alhambra, CA $4,604
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Alhambra, CA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Alhambra, CA $5,603
Nosara $3,712

Living in Alhambra, CA is roughly 96% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alhambra, CA 169% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.88 $24.88

$12.22 ₡5,509

103.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$60.2 ₡27.1K

29.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 $14.96

$7.54 ₡3,399

98.41%

Cappuccino

$6.10 $6.10

$4.31 ₡1,941

41.53%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.72 ₡773

77.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.35 ₡608

79.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.24 ₡1,459

117.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$4.48 ₡2,018

125.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.57 ₡707

-13.38%

White Bread (500g)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.17 ₡1,429

61.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.42 ₡1,091

89.67%

Eggs

$5.91 $5.91

$3.57 ₡1,609

65.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$7.43 ₡3,349

52.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 $8.82

$10.42 ₡4,697

-15.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.79 $19.79

$13.66 ₡6,156

44.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.32 ₡1,044

107.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.61 ₡728

37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$4.74 ₡2,138

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$1.66 ₡747

239.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.72 ₡1,679

-13.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.57 ₡1,611

-11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.10 ₡497

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.55 ₡1,149

10.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$4.95 ₡2,232

136.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$20.01 ₡9,020

-23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.79 ₡1,256

-10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.53 ₡1,589

-21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.19 ₡537

63.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$72.1 ₡32.5K

53.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.24 ₡1,011

37.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.55 ₡701

17.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.56 $32.56

$8.86 ₡3,993

267.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.57 ₡708

-7.64%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

69.56%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-23.49%

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

$284 $284

$93.5 ₡42.1K

203.84%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

116.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

41.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 $41.65

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 $15.80

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-55.42%

Cinema Ticket

$19.77 $19.77

$7.84 ₡3,535

152.17%

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

$1,157 $1,157

$490 ₡220.7K

136.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

173.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

17.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.26 $48.26

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$79.3 ₡35.7K

31.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$78.9 ₡35.6K

28.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$786 ₡354.3K

196.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 $1,921

$780 ₡351.6K

146.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 $2,539

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-34.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$1,407 ₡634.4K

50.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 $2,773

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-60.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$1,201 ₡541.3K

97.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,816 $4,816

$876 ₡395.0K

449.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Alhambra, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alhambra, CA

$1.9K 54.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 59.4% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alhambra, CA

$433 12.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 58.4% $253

Groceries & Markets

Alhambra, CA

$432 12.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 19.1% $83

Eating Out

Alhambra, CA

$394 11.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 46.9% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Alhambra, CA

$143 4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.6% $22

Getting Around

Alhambra, CA

$130 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Alhambra, CA

$81 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,328 in Alhambra, CA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alhambra, CA pays 450% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $78.0 in Alhambra, CA vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alhambra, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

1 h ahead of Alhambra, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,089

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alhambra, CA Nosara 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Alhambra, CA
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

Alhambra, CA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alhambra, CA and Nosara differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($3,606 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 450% higher in Alhambra, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,328 in Alhambra, CA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Alhambra, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $78.0 in Alhambra, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $3,606 in Alhambra, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Alhambra, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Alhambra, CA and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Alhambra, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.