Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,629 in Chester, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Chester, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,629

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Chester, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Chester, CA $2,629
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,789 in Chester, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Chester, CA $3,789
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,949 in Chester, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Chester, CA $4,949
Nosara $3,814

Living in Chester, CA is roughly 43% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chester, CA 94% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.13 $15.13

$12.34 ₡5,535

22.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 $56.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.61 $12.61

$7.76 ₡3,481

62.50%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.96%

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

$1.94 $1.94

$1.79 ₡803

8.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 ₡580

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.24 ₡1,451

54.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 $6.45

$4.43 ₡1,985

45.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.55 ₡696

-20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.08 ₡1,380

36.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.53 ₡1,133

82.61%

Eggs

$5.67 $5.67

$3.45 ₡1,546

64.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$7.32 ₡3,284

104.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.97 $14.97

$10.24 ₡4,594

46.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 $17.94

$14.10 ₡6,326

27.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.29 ₡1,027

120.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.64 ₡737

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.79 ₡2,149

-10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$1.64 ₡735

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.85 ₡1,727

0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.75 ₡1,681

-10.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.09 ₡488

129.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.59 ₡1,160

4.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 $9.06

$5.12 ₡2,295

76.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 $13.92

$19.92 ₡8,931

-30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.80 ₡1,255

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.52 ₡1,580

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.22 ₡549

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.17 ₡973

89.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.56 ₡698

23.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$8.67 ₡3,886

185.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.55 ₡697

-9.03%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

1.99%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-29.75%

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

$227 $227

$94.8 ₡42.5K

139.64%

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

$60.6 $60.6

$36.15 ₡16.2K

67.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

30.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.63 $35.63

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-51.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 $17.07

$7.91 ₡3,548

115.80%

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

$1,537 $1,537

$490 ₡219.9K

213.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K $19.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

59.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$54.8 ₡24.6K

12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.31 $46.31

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-17.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.4 $94.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$77.9 ₡34.9K

62.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$801 ₡359.1K

100.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$790 ₡354.1K

64.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 $2,499

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$1,409 ₡632.0K

51.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,448 $2,448

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-65.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,699 $2,699

$1,236 ₡554.3K

118.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Chester, 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

Chester, CA

$1.3K 49.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.3% $511

Groceries & Markets

Chester, CA

$460 17.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 24% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester, CA

$357 13.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 48.5% $173

Eating Out

Chester, CA

$271 10.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 21.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chester, CA

$148 5.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 18.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chester, CA

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Chester, CA

$23 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 287% $66

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 $1,604 in Chester, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Chester, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $460 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chester, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

1 h ahead of Chester, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,801

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

Chester, CA Nosara 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chester, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Chester, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,944 in Chester, 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: $1,604 in Chester, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Chester, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,629 per month in Chester, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,629 in Chester, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Chester, 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, Chester, 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 43% less than in Chester, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.