Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Downey, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,035 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,035

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,035 in Downey, CA versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Downey, CA $3,035
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,713 in Downey, CA versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Downey, CA $4,713
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,391 in Downey, CA versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Downey, CA $6,391
Nosara $3,818

Living in Downey, CA is roughly 65% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Downey, CA 125% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.83 $24.83

$12.35 ₡5,539

101.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

31.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$7.52 ₡3,373

102.26%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$4.41 ₡1,978

28.34%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.74 ₡780

81.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.31 ₡587

78.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.28 ₡1,471

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.36 $9.36

$4.47 ₡2,004

109.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.56 ₡701

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.02 ₡1,355

35.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.51 ₡1,125

87.25%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$3.57 ₡1,603

30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.43 ₡3,333

73.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$10.52 ₡4,717

27.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.97 ₡6,265

9.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.35 ₡1,052

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.61 ₡720

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$4.80 ₡2,152

-13.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.61 ₡724

240.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-2.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.69 ₡1,657

-16.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.13 ₡507

79.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.66 ₡1,191

-16.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$5.18 ₡2,321

125.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$19.88 ₡8,916

-24.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.63 ₡1,626

15.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 $6.34

$2.14 ₡958

196.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.48%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.49%

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

$170 $170

$96.3 ₡43.2K

76.85%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

85.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

34.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.92 $34.92

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-51.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$7.89 ₡3,539

91.51%

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

$1,188 $1,188

$494 ₡221.6K

140.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

8.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-17.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$79.6 ₡35.7K

81.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$788 ₡353.4K

147.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$794 ₡356.2K

113.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,725 $3,725

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-5.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,383 $3,383

$1,419 ₡636.5K

138.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,755 $5,755

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-16.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,766 $5,766

$1,224 ₡549.0K

371.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,178 $4,178

$864 ₡387.3K

383.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

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

Last update for Downey, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Downey, CA

$1.7K 55.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 53.1% $898

Groceries & Markets

Downey, CA

$419 13.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15.9% $67

Eating Out

Downey, CA

$390 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 45.7% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Downey, CA

$309 10.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Downey, CA

$153 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Downey, CA

$65 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.1% $22

Getting Around

Downey, CA

$6.3 * 0.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1274% $81

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 $1,946 in Downey, CA and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays 384% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Downey, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h ahead of Downey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,355

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Downey, CA Nosara 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Downey, 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

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

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 65% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 384% higher in Downey, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,946 in Downey, CA versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,035 per month in Downey, CA versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,035 in Downey, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Downey, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Downey, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Downey, 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 65% less than in Downey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.