Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, CA
Learn more

Brentwood, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Brentwood, CA $2,609
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Brentwood, CA $4,005
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Brentwood, CA $5,401
Nosara $3,814

Living in Brentwood, CA is roughly 42% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brentwood, CA 93% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$12.34 ₡5,535

103.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$61.3 ₡27.5K

81.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.76 ₡3,481

94.33%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.44 ₡1,992

25.90%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.79 ₡803

70.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.29 ₡580

92.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.24 ₡1,451

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$4.43 ₡1,985

75.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.55 ₡696

-18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.08 ₡1,380

40.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.53 ₡1,133

87.75%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$3.45 ₡1,546

57.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$7.32 ₡3,284

237.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$10.24 ₡4,594

14.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$14.10 ₡6,326

-6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.29 ₡1,027

136.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.64 ₡737

86.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.79 ₡2,149

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$1.64 ₡735

259.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.85 ₡1,727

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.75 ₡1,681

2.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.09 ₡488

171.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.59 ₡1,160

4.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$5.12 ₡2,295

128.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$19.92 ₡8,931

-34.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.80 ₡1,255

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.52 ₡1,580

-27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.22 ₡549

59.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.17 ₡973

81.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.56 ₡698

8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 $32.36

$8.67 ₡3,886

273.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.55 ₡697

-0.65%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.93%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-29.56%

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

$137 $137

$94.8 ₡42.5K

44.73%

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

$39.77 $39.77

$36.15 ₡16.2K

10.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

17.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 $39.88

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-45.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$7.91 ₡3,548

126.17%

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

$2,330 $2,330

$490 ₡219.9K

375.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

100.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 $76.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-5.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$801 ₡359.1K

123.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$790 ₡354.1K

65.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$1,409 ₡632.0K

61.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,236 ₡554.3K

76.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,395 $6,395

$887 ₡397.6K

621.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Brentwood, 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

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.7% $520

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 25% $117

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 46.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 23.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 18.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 339% $69

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 $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 621% 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: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

1 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Brentwood, CA Nosara 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, 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

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

Brentwood, CA and Nosara differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,609 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 621% higher in Brentwood, 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: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Brentwood, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Brentwood, 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, Brentwood, 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 42% less than in Brentwood, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.