Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brea, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Brea, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Brea, CA $3,716
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,124 in Brea, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Brea, CA $5,124
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,532 in Brea, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Brea, CA $6,532
Nosara $3,814

Living in Brea, CA is roughly 102% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brea, CA 174% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$12.34 ₡5,535

104.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$61.3 ₡27.5K

28.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$7.76 ₡3,481

56.96%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.44 ₡1,992

25.90%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$1.79 ₡803

50.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.29 ₡580

53.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.24 ₡1,451

126.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$4.43 ₡1,985

113.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.55 ₡696

-23.87%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.08 ₡1,380

71.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.53 ₡1,133

74.31%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$3.45 ₡1,546

40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$7.32 ₡3,284

110.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$10.24 ₡4,594

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$14.10 ₡6,326

-1.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.29 ₡1,027

103.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.64 ₡737

9.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.79 ₡2,149

-10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$1.64 ₡735

251.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.85 ₡1,727

-6.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.75 ₡1,681

-18.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.09 ₡488

96.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$5.12 ₡2,295

133.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.52 ₡1,580

-8.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.17 ₡973

111.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.56 ₡698

16.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.28 $36.28

$8.67 ₡3,886

318.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.55 ₡697

1.29%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.58%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.85%

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

$218 $218

$94.8 ₡42.5K

129.72%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$36.15 ₡16.2K

95.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$53.1 ₡23.8K

30.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-59.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-43.81%

Cinema Ticket

$19.98 $19.98

$7.91 ₡3,548

152.59%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$490 ₡219.9K

137.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

259.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$54.8 ₡24.6K

13.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 $41.12

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$77.9 ₡34.9K

33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$801 ₡359.1K

179.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$790 ₡354.1K

198.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-21.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$1,409 ₡632.0K

149.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,884 $5,884

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-16.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,172 $6,172

$1,236 ₡554.3K

399.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,939 $9,939

$887 ₡397.6K

1021.07%

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 Brea, 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

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 66.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Brea, CA

$411 11.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 15% $62

Eating Out

Brea, CA

$379 10.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 43.9% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brea, CA

$358 9.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 48.6% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Brea, CA

$130 3.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.8% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Brea, CA

$70 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28% $20

Getting Around

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 552% $75

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 $2,241 in Brea, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 1021% 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: $79.0 in Brea, CA vs $61.0 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

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

1 h ahead of Brea, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,585

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Brea, CA Nosara 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brea, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 102% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1021% higher in Brea, 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: $2,241 in Brea, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Brea, 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 Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $3,716 in Brea, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brea, 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 102% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.