Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Highland, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,680 in Highland, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Highland, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,680

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,680 per month in Highland, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Highland, CA $2,680
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,015 per month in Highland, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Highland, CA $4,015
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,349 per month in Highland, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Highland, CA $5,349
Nosara $3,814

Highland, CA costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Highland, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Highland, CA by 98%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$12.34 ₡5,535

102.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 $78.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

27.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$7.76 ₡3,481

95.10%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.44 ₡1,992

27.25%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$1.79 ₡803

72.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.29 ₡580

89.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.24 ₡1,451

121.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$4.43 ₡1,985

126.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.55 ₡696

-13.55%

White Bread (500g)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.08 ₡1,380

52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.53 ₡1,133

79.84%

Eggs

$5.29 $5.29

$3.45 ₡1,546

53.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$7.32 ₡3,284

58.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$10.24 ₡4,594

-11.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$14.10 ₡6,326

38.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.29 ₡1,027

105.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.64 ₡737

35.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.79 ₡2,149

-16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.64 ₡735

232.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.85 ₡1,727

-11.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.75 ₡1,681

-22.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.09 ₡488

77.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.59 ₡1,160

-3.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$5.12 ₡2,295

128.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.80 ₡1,255

-11.07%

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)

$29.83 $29.83

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-59.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.17 ₡973

40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.56 ₡698

21.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.72 $31.72

$8.67 ₡3,886

265.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.55 ₡697

0.65%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.80%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.26%

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

$221 $221

$94.8 ₡42.5K

133.31%

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

$77.6 $77.6

$36.15 ₡16.2K

114.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.7 $78.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

48.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$18.20 $18.20

$7.91 ₡3,548

130.09%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$490 ₡219.9K

136.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

167.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$54.8 ₡24.6K

14.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.18 $47.18

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$80.4 ₡36.0K

32.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$77.9 ₡34.9K

33.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$801 ₡359.1K

85.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 $1,219

$790 ₡354.1K

54.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,331 $2,331

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-41.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,409 ₡632.0K

53.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 $3,106

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-56.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$1,236 ₡554.3K

93.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Highland, 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

Highland, CA

$1.2K 45.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 35.2% $430

Groceries & Markets

Highland, CA

$420 15.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 16.7% $70

Eating Out

Highland, CA

$392 14.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 45.7% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Highland, CA

$377 14.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 51.2% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Highland, CA

$144 5.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 16.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Highland, CA

$77 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Highland, CA

$50 1.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 76.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,489 in Highland, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Highland, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Highland, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

1 h ahead of Highland, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,550

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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Between locations

Highland, CA Nosara 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Highland, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,680 in Highland, CA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,021 per month in Highland, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Highland, CA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,680 in Highland, CA and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 46%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Highland, CA at $2,680. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Highland, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,680 in Highland, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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