Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cathedral City, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,593 in Cathedral City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Cathedral City, CA
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Cathedral City, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cathedral City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,593

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,593 in Cathedral City, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Cathedral City, CA $2,593
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Cathedral City, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Cathedral City, CA $3,761
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,929 in Cathedral City, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Cathedral City, CA $4,929
Nosara $3,814

Living in Cathedral City, CA is roughly 41% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cathedral City, CA 91% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.94 $18.94

$12.34 ₡5,535

53.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.76 ₡3,481

43.30%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$4.44 ₡1,992

11.26%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.79 ₡803

46.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.29 ₡580

51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.24 ₡1,451

85.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.43 ₡1,985

60.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡696

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.08 ₡1,380

11.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.53 ₡1,133

74.31%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$3.45 ₡1,546

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$7.32 ₡3,284

64.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$10.24 ₡4,594

13.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 $15.70

$14.10 ₡6,326

11.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.29 ₡1,027

118.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.64 ₡737

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$4.79 ₡2,149

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.64 ₡735

178.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.75 ₡1,681

-26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.09 ₡488

86.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 $9.33

$5.12 ₡2,295

82.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 $13.89

$19.92 ₡8,931

-30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.80 ₡1,255

-34.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.52 ₡1,580

-5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.22 ₡549

62.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.17 ₡973

57.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.56 ₡698

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.37 $29.37

$8.67 ₡3,886

238.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡697

-42.58%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.07%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-35.17%

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

$186 $186

$94.8 ₡42.5K

96.41%

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

$53.1 $53.1

$36.15 ₡16.2K

46.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

28.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.44 $42.44

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.60 $13.60

$7.91 ₡3,548

71.93%

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

$1,315 $1,315

$490 ₡219.9K

168.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

95.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 $39.39

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$77.9 ₡34.9K

45.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 $1,592

$801 ₡359.1K

98.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$790 ₡354.1K

74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 $2,622

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 $2,223

$1,409 ₡632.0K

57.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,814 $2,814

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,236 ₡554.3K

95.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Cathedral City, 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

Cathedral City, CA

$1.4K 53%

Nosara

$790 43% 42.5% $584

Groceries & Markets

Cathedral City, CA

$386 14.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 9.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cathedral City, CA

$308 11.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 40.2% $124

Eating Out

Cathedral City, CA

$307 11.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Cathedral City, CA

$130 5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.9% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cathedral City, CA

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.7% $20

Getting Around

Cathedral City, CA

$19 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 361% $70

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 $1,592 in Cathedral City, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Cathedral City, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cathedral City, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

1 h ahead of Cathedral City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,493

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Cathedral City, CA Nosara 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cathedral City, 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

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

Cathedral City, CA and Nosara differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,593 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,889 in Cathedral City, CA and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Cathedral City, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,315 in Cathedral City, 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 $74.0 in Cathedral City, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,593 in Cathedral City, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cathedral City, 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, Cathedral City, 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 41% less than in Cathedral City, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.