Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burbank, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,642 in Burbank, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Burbank, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,642

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,642 per month in Burbank, CA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,642
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,559 per month in Burbank, CA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,559
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,476 per month in Burbank, CA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,476
Nosara $3,712

Burbank, CA costs about 98% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burbank, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Burbank, CA by 172%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.41 $25.41

$12.22 ₡5,509

107.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

28.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.95 $14.95

$7.54 ₡3,399

98.28%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$4.31 ₡1,941

34.34%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$1.72 ₡773

120.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.35 ₡608

96.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.24 ₡1,459

139.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$4.48 ₡2,018

123.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.57 ₡707

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.17 ₡1,429

52.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.42 ₡1,091

87.60%

Eggs

$5.81 $5.81

$3.57 ₡1,609

62.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$7.43 ₡3,349

107.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$10.42 ₡4,697

56.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$13.66 ₡6,156

41.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.32 ₡1,044

119.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.61 ₡728

44.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.74 ₡2,138

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.66 ₡747

240.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.72 ₡1,679

-14.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.57 ₡1,611

-21.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.10 ₡497

98.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.55 ₡1,149

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$4.95 ₡2,232

138.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$20.01 ₡9,020

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.79 ₡1,256

-10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.53 ₡1,589

-21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.19 ₡537

45.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.24 ₡1,011

40.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.55 ₡701

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.06 $32.06

$8.86 ₡3,993

261.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.57 ₡708

-7.64%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

67.05%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.04%

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

$214 $214

$93.5 ₡42.1K

128.96%

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

$78.5 $78.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

123.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$51.5 ₡23.2K

41.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$129 $129

$71.4 ₡32.2K

80.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$19.80 $19.80

$7.84 ₡3,535

152.55%

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

$1,670 $1,670

$490 ₡220.7K

241.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

167.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

17.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 $48.44

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-13.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$79.3 ₡35.7K

33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$78.9 ₡35.6K

31.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 $3,217

$786 ₡354.3K

309.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$780 ₡351.6K

168.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,421 $5,421

$876 ₡395.0K

518.64%

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 Burbank, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burbank, CA

$2.1K 57.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 62.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Burbank, CA

$476 13%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 26.6% $126

Eating Out

Burbank, CA

$402 11%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 47.9% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burbank, CA

$365 10%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 50.7% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Burbank, CA

$168 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 48.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Burbank, CA

$144 3.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 16.6% $24

Getting Around

Burbank, CA

$19 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 349% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,217 in Burbank, CA versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 519% higher in Burbank, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Burbank, CA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burbank, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

1 h ahead of Burbank, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,340

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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Burbank, CA Nosara 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Burbank, 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

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

Burbank, CA costs about 98% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,463 per month in Burbank, CA and $2,756 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,642 in Burbank, CA and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 98%.

Kindergarten costs $1,670 per month in Burbank, CA and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Burbank, CA at $3,642. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burbank, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $3,642 in Burbank, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Burbank, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.