Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aliso Viejo, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Aliso Viejo, CA
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Aliso Viejo, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,964

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Aliso Viejo, CA $3,964
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,003 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Aliso Viejo, CA $6,003
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,043 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Aliso Viejo, CA $8,043
Nosara $3,814

Living in Aliso Viejo, CA is roughly 116% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aliso Viejo, CA 193% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.73 $24.73

$12.34 ₡5,535

100.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

60.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 $14.32

$7.76 ₡3,481

84.54%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$4.44 ₡1,992

33.11%

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

$3.51 $3.51

$1.79 ₡803

96.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.29 ₡580

117.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.24 ₡1,451

153.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$4.43 ₡1,985

124.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.55 ₡696

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.08 ₡1,380

54.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.53 ₡1,133

86.56%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$3.45 ₡1,546

47.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$7.32 ₡3,284

54.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$10.24 ₡4,594

57.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$14.10 ₡6,326

25.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.29 ₡1,027

140.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.64 ₡737

5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$4.79 ₡2,149

-2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$1.64 ₡735

303.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.85 ₡1,727

-6.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.75 ₡1,681

-25.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.09 ₡488

101.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.59 ₡1,160

-6.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.92 $11.92

$5.12 ₡2,295

132.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.80 ₡1,255

-35.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.52 ₡1,580

-11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.22 ₡549

151.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.17 ₡973

105.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.56 ₡698

22.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 $32.04

$8.67 ₡3,886

269.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.55 ₡697

2.58%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

1.28%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.28%

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

$212 $212

$94.8 ₡42.5K

123.40%

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

$71.5 $71.5

$36.15 ₡16.2K

97.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

34.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 $38.84

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-47.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 $17.19

$7.91 ₡3,548

117.32%

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

$1,698 $1,698

$490 ₡219.9K

246.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

167.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 $72.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

32.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 $65.1

$55.9 ₡25.1K

16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$80.4 ₡36.0K

44.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 $169

$77.9 ₡34.9K

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 $2,908

$801 ₡359.1K

263.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 $2,466

$790 ₡354.1K

212.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,191 $4,191

$4,005 ₡1.8M

4.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$1,409 ₡632.0K

229.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,007 $7,007

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-0.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,500 $6,500

$1,236 ₡554.3K

425.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,985 $7,985

$887 ₡397.6K

800.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aliso Viejo, CA

$2.5K 62.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 68% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Aliso Viejo, CA

$456 11.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 23.3% $106

Eating Out

Aliso Viejo, CA

$398 10%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 46.6% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aliso Viejo, CA

$355 8.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 48.1% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Aliso Viejo, CA

$190 4.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 36.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Aliso Viejo, CA

$73 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 22.4% $16

Getting Around

Aliso Viejo, CA

$26 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 237% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays 801% 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: $98.0 in Aliso Viejo, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h ahead of Aliso Viejo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,489

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aliso Viejo, CA Nosara 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Aliso Viejo, 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

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

Aliso Viejo, CA and Nosara differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($3,964 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 801% higher in Aliso Viejo, 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: $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,964 per month in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Aliso Viejo, 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, Aliso Viejo, 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 116% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.