Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Apple Valley, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA: $1,252 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Apple Valley, CA
Learn more

Apple Valley, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Apple Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,252

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,252 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Apple Valley, CA $1,252
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,916 in Apple Valley, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Apple Valley, CA $1,916
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,580 in Apple Valley, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Apple Valley, CA $2,580
Nosara $3,814

Living in Apple Valley, CA costs roughly 32% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Apple Valley, CA is 8% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$12.34 ₡5,535

59.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.18 $47.18

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

28.22%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.74%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.79 ₡803

35.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.29 ₡580

19.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.24 ₡1,451

52.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.43 ₡1,985

32.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡696

-42.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.08 ₡1,380

26.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.53 ₡1,133

15.42%

Eggs

$2.04 $2.04

$3.45 ₡1,546

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.08 $14.08

$7.32 ₡3,284

92.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 $13.93

$10.24 ₡4,594

36.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$14.10 ₡6,326

-12.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.29 ₡1,027

110.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.64 ₡737

32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$4.79 ₡2,149

-6.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.64 ₡735

195.73%

Potato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.85 ₡1,727

20.26%

Onion (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.75 ₡1,681

12.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.09 ₡488

90.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.59 ₡1,160

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 $11.02

$5.12 ₡2,295

115.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$19.92 ₡8,931

-32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.80 ₡1,255

-41.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.52 ₡1,580

-23.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.17 ₡973

61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.56 ₡698

21.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.66 $23.66

$8.67 ₡3,886

172.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.55 ₡697

-10.97%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.90%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.48%

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

$250 $250

$94.8 ₡42.5K

164.08%

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

$80.8 $80.8

$36.15 ₡16.2K

123.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$53.1 ₡23.8K

24.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$7.91 ₡3,548

53.60%

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

$548 $548

$490 ₡219.9K

11.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,552 $8,552

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-28.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.64 $31.64

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-42.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 $34.39

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 $70.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$77.9 ₡34.9K

79.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,239 $5,239

$887 ₡397.6K

490.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

8.62

-73.90%

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

Last update for Apple Valley, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Apple Valley, CA

$397 31.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 53.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Apple Valley, CA

$393 31.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.1% $44

Eating Out

Apple Valley, CA

$300 24%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 29.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Apple Valley, CA

$124 9.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Apple Valley, CA

$24 * 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 269% $65

Getting Around

Apple Valley, CA

$13 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 582% $76

Accommodation & Living

Apple Valley, CA

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Apple Valley, CA pays 491% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Apple Valley, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Apple Valley, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

14:44 2:44 PM

1 h ahead of Apple Valley, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,109

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Apple Valley, CA Nosara 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Apple Valley, 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

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

Apple Valley, CA is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 491% higher in Apple Valley, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $548 in Apple Valley, CA versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,252 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Apple Valley, CA but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Apple Valley, CA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Apple Valley, CA is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Apple Valley, 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 Apple Valley, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.