Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atascadero, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,673 in Atascadero, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Atascadero, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,673

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,673 per month in Atascadero, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Atascadero, CA $2,673
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,792 per month in Atascadero, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Atascadero, CA $3,792
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,910 per month in Atascadero, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Atascadero, CA $4,910
Nosara $3,814

Atascadero, CA costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Atascadero, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Atascadero, CA by 97%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$12.34 ₡5,535

61.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.22 $35.22

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-42.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 $9.53

$7.76 ₡3,481

22.81%

Cappuccino

$4.37 $4.37

$4.44 ₡1,992

-1.58%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.79 ₡803

36.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.29 ₡580

52.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.24 ₡1,451

80.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 $5.03

$4.43 ₡1,985

13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡696

-32.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.08 ₡1,380

-26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$2.53 ₡1,133

198.42%

Eggs

$6.03 $6.03

$3.45 ₡1,546

74.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 $12.42

$7.32 ₡3,284

69.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.76 $16.76

$10.24 ₡4,594

63.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$14.10 ₡6,326

27.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.29 ₡1,027

120.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.64 ₡737

95.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$4.79 ₡2,149

-10.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.64 ₡735

179.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.85 ₡1,727

-28.05%

Onion (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.75 ₡1,681

17.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.09 ₡488

371.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.59 ₡1,160

-10.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.00 $12.00

$5.12 ₡2,295

134.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.27 $25.27

$19.92 ₡8,931

26.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.80 ₡1,255

-23.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.52 ₡1,580

-5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.22 ₡549

87.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.17 ₡973

26.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.56 ₡698

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.20 $26.20

$8.67 ₡3,886

202.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.55 ₡697

-1.29%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.42%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.66%

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

$203 $203

$94.8 ₡42.5K

113.68%

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

$39.65 $39.65

$36.15 ₡16.2K

9.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.2 $87.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

64.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.69 $41.69

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$17.06 $17.06

$7.91 ₡3,548

115.68%

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

$2,539 $2,539

$490 ₡219.9K

417.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K $30.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

156.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.43 $25.43

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-53.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 $61.8

$55.9 ₡25.1K

10.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 $90.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 $157

$77.9 ₡34.9K

102.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 $1,615

$801 ₡359.1K

101.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 $1,320

$790 ₡354.1K

67.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,552 $2,552

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 $2,142

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-66.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 $2,586

$1,236 ₡554.3K

109.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

8.62

-24.94%

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

Last update for Atascadero, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atascadero, CA

$1.3K 49.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 40.2% $530

Groceries & Markets

Atascadero, CA

$480 18%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 27.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atascadero, CA

$329 12.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 44.1% $145

Eating Out

Atascadero, CA

$297 11.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 28.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Atascadero, CA

$151 5.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Atascadero, CA

$76 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.2% $14

Getting Around

Atascadero, CA

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 342% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,615 in Atascadero, CA versus $801 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 $35.00 in Atascadero, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Atascadero, CA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atascadero, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h ahead of Atascadero, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,330

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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 23, 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

Atascadero, CA Nosara 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Atascadero, 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

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

Yes – Atascadero, CA is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,010 per month in Atascadero, CA and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, 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 $35.00 in Atascadero, CA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Atascadero, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Atascadero, CA at $2,673. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atascadero, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Atascadero, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.