Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontana, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,399 in Fontana, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fontana, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,399

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,399 per month in Fontana, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Fontana, CA $3,399
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $5,055 per month in Fontana, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Fontana, CA $5,055
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $6,711 per month in Fontana, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Fontana, CA $6,711
Nosara $3,814

Fontana, CA costs about 85% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fontana, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Fontana, CA by 151%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 $20.01

$12.34 ₡5,535

62.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 $78.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

27.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.87 $14.87

$7.76 ₡3,481

91.62%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.44 ₡1,992

27.25%

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

$3.48 $3.48

$1.79 ₡803

94.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.29 ₡580

84.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 $7.28

$3.24 ₡1,451

124.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 $9.25

$4.43 ₡1,985

108.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 ₡696

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.08 ₡1,380

33.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.53 ₡1,133

89.72%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.45 ₡1,546

45.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$7.32 ₡3,284

80.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$10.24 ₡4,594

-15.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 $15.23

$14.10 ₡6,326

8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.29 ₡1,027

110.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.64 ₡737

29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$4.79 ₡2,149

-16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$1.64 ₡735

248.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.85 ₡1,727

-6.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.75 ₡1,681

-38.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.09 ₡488

88.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.59 ₡1,160

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$5.12 ₡2,295

129.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.52 ₡1,580

15.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.84 $45.84

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-37.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 $6.39

$2.17 ₡973

194.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.55 ₡697

-5.16%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.25%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.35%

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

$220 $220

$94.8 ₡42.5K

132.22%

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

$79.5 $79.5

$36.15 ₡16.2K

119.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 $59.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

12.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$7.91 ₡3,548

91.91%

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

$1,196 $1,196

$490 ₡219.9K

143.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

6.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 $39.49

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 $91.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 $2,039

$801 ₡359.1K

154.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 $2,080

$790 ₡354.1K

163.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,222 $3,222

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-19.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,818 $3,818

$1,409 ₡632.0K

170.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,917 $4,917

$887 ₡397.6K

454.57%

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 Fontana, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fontana, CA

$2.1K 61.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 62% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Fontana, CA

$395 11.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontana, CA

$359 10.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 48.8% $175

Eating Out

Fontana, CA

$351 10.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 39.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Fontana, CA

$132 3.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8% $11

Getting Around

Fontana, CA

$52 * 1.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 69.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Fontana, CA

$30 * 0.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 195% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,039 in Fontana, 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 455% higher in Fontana, 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 $78.0 in Fontana, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $395 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fontana, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

13:32 1:32 PM

1 h ahead of Fontana, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Fontana, CA Nosara 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fontana, 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

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

Fontana, CA costs about 85% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,099 per month in Fontana, 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 $3,399 in Fontana, CA and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 85%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Fontana, CA at $3,399. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fontana, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $3,399 in Fontana, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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