Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerritos, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,104 in Cerritos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Cerritos, CA
Learn more

Cerritos, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Cerritos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,104

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,104 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,104
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,246 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,246
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,389 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,389
Nosara $3,712

Cerritos, CA costs about 69% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cerritos, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Cerritos, CA by 132%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.23 $25.23

$12.22 ₡5,509

106.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$60.2 ₡27.1K

69.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.93 $15.93

$7.54 ₡3,399

111.27%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.31 ₡1,941

30.16%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.72 ₡773

81.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.35 ₡608

99.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.24 ₡1,459

153.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 $9.98

$4.48 ₡2,018

122.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.57 ₡707

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.17 ₡1,429

54.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.42 ₡1,091

88.84%

Eggs

$5.78 $5.78

$3.57 ₡1,609

61.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$7.43 ₡3,349

56.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$10.42 ₡4,697

-14.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$13.66 ₡6,156

41.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.32 ₡1,044

101.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.61 ₡728

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$4.74 ₡2,138

-5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$1.66 ₡747

233.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.72 ₡1,679

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.57 ₡1,611

-18.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.10 ₡497

83.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.55 ₡1,149

-1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$4.95 ₡2,232

138.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$20.01 ₡9,020

-25.59%

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)

$1.19 ₡537

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)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.55 ₡701

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 $32.22

$8.86 ₡3,993

263.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.57 ₡708

2.55%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

67.45%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-25.94%

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

$221 $221

$93.5 ₡42.1K

136.28%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$35.11 ₡15.8K

117.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$51.5 ₡23.2K

56.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$71.4 ₡32.2K

65.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$20.17 $20.17

$7.84 ₡3,535

157.27%

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

$1,157 $1,157

$490 ₡220.7K

136.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K $32.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

175.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

17.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 $47.80

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-14.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$79.3 ₡35.7K

44.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$78.9 ₡35.6K

29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 $1,968

$786 ₡354.3K

150.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 $1,624

$780 ₡351.6K

108.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,556 $3,556

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-7.87%

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)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Cerritos, 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

Cerritos, CA

$1.6K 51.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 52% $844

Groceries & Markets

Cerritos, CA

$427 13.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 18.1% $77

Eating Out

Cerritos, CA

$401 12.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 47.8% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerritos, CA

$378 12%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 52.4% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Cerritos, CA

$159 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cerritos, CA

$147 4.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 18.2% $27

Getting Around

Cerritos, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 607% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,968 in Cerritos, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cerritos, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h ahead of Cerritos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,041

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerritos, CA Nosara 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cerritos, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,104 in Cerritos, CA, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,655 per month in Cerritos, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Cerritos, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Cerritos, CA at $3,104. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cerritos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $3,104 in Cerritos, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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