Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Garden Grove, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Garden Grove, CA: $1,412 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Garden Grove, CA
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Garden Grove, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Garden Grove, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,412

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $1,412
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $2,264
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $3,115
Nosara $3,818

Garden Grove, CA is about 23% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Garden Grove, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Garden Grove, CA by 5%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.44 $25.44

$12.35 ₡5,539

105.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 $77.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

26.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$7.52 ₡3,373

52.13%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.41 ₡1,978

27.21%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.74 ₡780

56.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.31 ₡587

48.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.28 ₡1,471

126.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.42 $9.42

$4.47 ₡2,004

110.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.56 ₡701

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.02 ₡1,355

75.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

74.10%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.57 ₡1,603

40.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$7.43 ₡3,333

68.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$10.52 ₡4,717

-17.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 $14.19

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.35 ₡1,052

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.61 ₡720

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$4.80 ₡2,152

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$1.61 ₡724

258.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.80 ₡1,703

-3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-18.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.13 ₡507

90.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.66 ₡1,191

-16.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.48 $11.48

$5.18 ₡2,321

121.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$19.88 ₡8,916

-24.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.63 ₡1,626

-15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 $5.02

$1.12 ₡504

348.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 $68.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-5.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.14 ₡958

108.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.57 ₡703

20.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.49 $36.49

$8.52 ₡3,823

328.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.52 ₡682

0.66%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

68.65%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.67%

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

$216 $216

$96.3 ₡43.2K

123.99%

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

$70.3 $70.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

95.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

28.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 $14.85

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-79.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.03 $20.03

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 $15.09

$7.89 ₡3,539

91.25%

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

$1,189 $1,189

$494 ₡221.6K

140.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K $42.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

256.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

14.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.80 $40.80

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$79.6 ₡35.7K

27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$788 ₡353.4K

179.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,518 $3,518

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-10.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,702 $4,702

$864 ₡387.3K

444.52%

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 Garden Grove, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Garden Grove, CA

$401 28.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12.1% $49

Eating Out

Garden Grove, CA

$380 26.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 44.2% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garden Grove, CA

$355 25.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.6% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Garden Grove, CA

$129 9.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.6% $8.5

Getting Around

Garden Grove, CA

$103 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Garden Grove, CA

$45 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 94% $42

Accommodation & Living

Garden Grove, CA

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,206 in Garden Grove, CA versus $788 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 445% higher in Garden Grove, CA, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Garden Grove, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garden Grove, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

11:31 11:31 AM

1 h ahead of Garden Grove, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,883

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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Highest

Between locations

Garden Grove, CA Nosara 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Garden Grove, 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

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

Nosara costs about 30% more than Garden Grove, CA, 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 $2,118 per month in Garden Grove, CA and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Garden Grove, CA, 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 $1,412 in Garden Grove, CA and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Garden Grove, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Garden Grove, CA, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Garden Grove, CA it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Garden Grove, CA costs $1,412 versus $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Garden Grove, CA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.