Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bakersfield, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bakersfield, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,146

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Bakersfield, CA $3,146
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,361 in Bakersfield, CA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Bakersfield, CA $4,361
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,575 in Bakersfield, CA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Bakersfield, CA $5,575
Nosara $3,712

Living in Bakersfield, CA is roughly 71% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bakersfield, CA 135% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.87 $18.87

$12.22 ₡5,509

54.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

6.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$7.54 ₡3,399

84.48%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$4.31 ₡1,941

40.37%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.72 ₡773

55.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.35 ₡608

51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.24 ₡1,459

89.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.48 ₡2,018

31.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.57 ₡707

-31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.17 ₡1,429

31.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.42 ₡1,091

119.01%

Eggs

$3.42 $3.42

$3.57 ₡1,609

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 $12.83

$7.43 ₡3,349

72.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.42 ₡4,697

27.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 $15.95

$13.66 ₡6,156

16.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.32 ₡1,044

78.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.61 ₡728

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.74 ₡2,138

-16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.66 ₡747

130.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.72 ₡1,679

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.57 ₡1,611

-32.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.10 ₡497

93.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.55 ₡1,149

-7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 $9.95

$4.95 ₡2,232

101.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.72 $17.72

$20.01 ₡9,020

-11.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.79 ₡1,256

-31.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.53 ₡1,589

34.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.19 ₡537

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 $57.5

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-20.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.24 ₡1,011

34.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.55 ₡701

34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.57 ₡708

-3.82%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

71.39%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.01%

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

$400 $400

$93.5 ₡42.1K

328.43%

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

$60.0 $60.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

70.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$51.5 ₡23.2K

44.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 $38.76

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-45.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.77 $24.77

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-30.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$7.84 ₡3,535

91.96%

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

$1,482 $1,482

$490 ₡220.7K

202.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 $61.5

$53.5 ₡24.1K

14.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 $48.13

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-13.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 $99.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

25.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$78.9 ₡35.6K

56.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$786 ₡354.3K

115.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$780 ₡351.6K

100.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-37.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$1,407 ₡634.4K

78.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,496 $2,496

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-64.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,201 ₡541.3K

105.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,646 $3,646

$876 ₡395.0K

316.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.62

-25.41%

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

Last update for Bakersfield, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bakersfield, CA

$1.6K 50%

Nosara

$780 43% 50.2% $788

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bakersfield, CA

$535 17.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 66.3% $355

Groceries & Markets

Bakersfield, CA

$411 13.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 14.9% $61

Eating Out

Bakersfield, CA

$327 10.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 35.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Bakersfield, CA

$150 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 19.5% $29

Getting Around

Bakersfield, CA

$78 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.5% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Bakersfield, CA

$69 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,694 in Bakersfield, CA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bakersfield, CA pays 316% 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: $64.0 in Bakersfield, CA vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bakersfield, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h ahead of Bakersfield, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

373,640

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 →

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Between locations

Bakersfield, CA Nosara 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bakersfield, 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

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

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 316% higher in Bakersfield, 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: $1,694 in Bakersfield, CA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $64.0 in Bakersfield, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,146 per month in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bakersfield, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Bakersfield, 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 71% less than in Bakersfield, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.