Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dana Point, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $4,372 in Dana Point, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in Dana Point, CA
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Dana Point, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dana Point, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,372

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,372 per month in Dana Point, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Dana Point, CA $4,372
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $5,964 per month in Dana Point, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Dana Point, CA $5,964
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $7,557 per month in Dana Point, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Dana Point, CA $7,557
Nosara $3,814

Dana Point, CA costs about 138% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dana Point, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Dana Point, CA by 223%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.21 $25.21

$12.34 ₡5,535

104.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.3 ₡27.5K

64.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.52 $14.52

$7.76 ₡3,481

87.11%

Cappuccino

$6.04 $6.04

$4.44 ₡1,992

36.04%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$1.79 ₡803

105.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.29 ₡580

105.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.24 ₡1,451

143.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.43 ₡1,985

125.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.55 ₡696

-17.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.08 ₡1,380

56.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.53 ₡1,133

86.17%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$3.45 ₡1,546

15.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$7.32 ₡3,284

53.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 $13.49

$10.24 ₡4,594

31.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$14.10 ₡6,326

11.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.29 ₡1,027

119.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 ₡737

34.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$4.79 ₡2,149

-26.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$1.64 ₡735

225.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.85 ₡1,727

-24.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.75 ₡1,681

-25.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.09 ₡488

82.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.59 ₡1,160

-5.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$5.12 ₡2,295

134.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.80 ₡1,255

7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.52 ₡1,580

-21.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.22 ₡549

65.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.17 ₡973

45.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.56 ₡698

21.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.63 $32.63

$8.67 ₡3,886

276.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.55 ₡697

-17.42%

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

$32.8K $32.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.02%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.02%

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

$255 $255

$94.8 ₡42.5K

168.80%

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

$77.4 $77.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

114.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

48.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 $41.94

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.15 $20.15

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-43.45%

Cinema Ticket

$19.64 $19.64

$7.91 ₡3,548

148.29%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$490 ₡219.9K

244.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.3K $32.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

172.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$54.8 ₡24.6K

19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 $52.2

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-6.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$80.4 ₡36.0K

41.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 $177

$77.9 ₡34.9K

127.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,986 $2,986

$801 ₡359.1K

272.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,847 $2,847

$790 ₡354.1K

260.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,264 $5,264

$4,005 ₡1.8M

31.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,148 $4,148

$1,409 ₡632.0K

194.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,686 $2,686

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$1,236 ₡554.3K

90.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,504 $7,504

$887 ₡397.6K

746.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Dana Point, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dana Point, CA

$2.8K 65.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 72.3% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Dana Point, CA

$426 9.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 17.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dana Point, CA

$411 9.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 55.2% $227

Eating Out

Dana Point, CA

$402 9.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 47.1% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Dana Point, CA

$184 4.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 34.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Dana Point, CA

$81 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 10.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Dana Point, CA

$21 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 328% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,986 in Dana Point, CA versus $801 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 746% higher in Dana Point, 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 $101 in Dana Point, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dana Point, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

1 h ahead of Dana Point, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,351

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

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Between locations

Dana Point, CA Nosara 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dana Point, 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

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

Yes – Dana Point, CA is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,557 per month in Dana Point, CA and $2,753 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 $4,372 in Dana Point, CA and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 138%.

Kindergarten costs $1,690 per month in Dana Point, 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 $1,835, than in Dana Point, CA at $4,372. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dana Point, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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