Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huntington Beach, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,496 in Huntington Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Huntington Beach, CA
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Huntington Beach, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Huntington Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,496

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,496 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Huntington Beach, CA $3,496
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,884 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Huntington Beach, CA $5,884
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,271 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Huntington Beach, CA $8,271
Nosara $3,712

Living in Huntington Beach, CA is roughly 90% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Huntington Beach, CA 161% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.18 $16.18

$12.22 ₡5,509

32.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

30.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.10 $15.10

$7.54 ₡3,399

100.27%

Cappuccino

$5.77 $5.77

$4.31 ₡1,941

33.87%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.72 ₡773

76.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.35 ₡608

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 $7.41

$3.24 ₡1,459

128.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$4.48 ₡2,018

78.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.57 ₡707

-27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.17 ₡1,429

60.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.42 ₡1,091

102.48%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$3.57 ₡1,609

36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 $12.29

$7.43 ₡3,349

65.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$10.42 ₡4,697

81.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.34 $15.34

$13.66 ₡6,156

12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.32 ₡1,044

104.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.61 ₡728

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.74 ₡2,138

-13.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.66 ₡747

238.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.72 ₡1,679

19.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.57 ₡1,611

-14.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.10 ₡497

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.55 ₡1,149

-1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$4.95 ₡2,232

117.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.79 ₡1,256

-29.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.53 ₡1,589

-10.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.24 ₡1,011

103.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.55 ₡701

17.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.56 $35.56

$8.86 ₡3,993

301.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.57 ₡708

1.27%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

68.44%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.44%

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

$212 $212

$93.5 ₡42.1K

126.55%

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

$62.2 $62.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

77.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$51.5 ₡23.2K

57.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.90 $44.90

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-37.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$7.84 ₡3,535

87.63%

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

$1,171 $1,171

$490 ₡220.7K

139.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.7K $42.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

259.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

20.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.93 $40.93

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-26.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 $98.3

$79.3 ₡35.7K

24.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$78.9 ₡35.6K

44.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,627 $2,627

$786 ₡354.3K

234.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 $2,196

$780 ₡351.6K

181.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,021 $5,021

$3,860 ₡1.7M

30.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,243 $5,243

$1,407 ₡634.4K

272.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,152 $8,152

$6,972 ₡3.1M

16.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,097 $5,097

$1,201 ₡541.3K

324.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,440 $5,440

$876 ₡395.0K

520.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Huntington Beach, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Huntington Beach, CA

$2.2K 61.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 64.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Huntington Beach, CA

$462 13%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 24.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huntington Beach, CA

$355 10%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 49.3% $175

Eating Out

Huntington Beach, CA

$318 8.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 34.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Huntington Beach, CA

$143 4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Huntington Beach, CA

$74 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.2% $13

Getting Around

Huntington Beach, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 537% $73

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 $2,627 in Huntington Beach, CA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Huntington Beach, CA pays 521% 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: $78.0 in Huntington Beach, CA vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $462 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Huntington Beach, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

1 h ahead of Huntington Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,366

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Huntington Beach, CA Nosara 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Huntington Beach, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Huntington Beach, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 521% higher in Huntington Beach, 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: $2,627 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,171 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $78.0 in Huntington Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $3,496 in Huntington Beach, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Huntington Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Huntington Beach, 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 90% less than in Huntington Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.