Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,185 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Long Beach, CA $3,185
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Long Beach, CA $4,857
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,529 in Long Beach, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Long Beach, CA $6,529
Nosara $3,814

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 74% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Long Beach, CA 135% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$12.34 ₡5,535

59.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

28.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.48 $14.48

$7.76 ₡3,481

86.60%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$4.44 ₡1,992

38.96%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$1.79 ₡803

82.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.29 ₡580

92.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 $7.46

$3.24 ₡1,451

130.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$4.43 ₡1,985

118.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡696

-32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.08 ₡1,380

34.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.53 ₡1,133

83.79%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$3.45 ₡1,546

34.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$7.32 ₡3,284

79.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$10.24 ₡4,594

39.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$14.10 ₡6,326

7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.29 ₡1,027

106.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.64 ₡737

1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$4.79 ₡2,149

0.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.64 ₡735

195.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.85 ₡1,727

-10.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.75 ₡1,681

-40.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.09 ₡488

87.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.59 ₡1,160

-29.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$5.12 ₡2,295

125.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.52 ₡1,580

-6.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.22 ₡549

44.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 $68.9

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-6.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.17 ₡973

34.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.56 ₡698

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.25 $28.25

$8.67 ₡3,886

225.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.55 ₡697

-0.65%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.45%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.98%

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

$169 $169

$94.8 ₡42.5K

77.91%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

83.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

13.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-46.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$7.91 ₡3,548

87.61%

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

$1,912 $1,912

$490 ₡219.9K

290.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

204.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

6.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 $93.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$77.9 ₡34.9K

82.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$801 ₡359.1K

156.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

$790 ₡354.1K

129.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,672 $3,672

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-8.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,462 $3,462

$1,409 ₡632.0K

145.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,440 $7,440

$7,064 ₡3.2M

5.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,677 $6,677

$1,236 ₡554.3K

440.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,419 $4,419

$887 ₡397.6K

398.49%

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 Long Beach, 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

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 56.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 56.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$414 13%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 15.5% $64

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$355 11.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 40% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$295 9.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 37.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.7% $30

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$89 2.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 0.6% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$69 2.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 29.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,057 in Long Beach, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays 398% 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: $79.0 in Long Beach, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

1 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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 →

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Long Beach, CA Nosara 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Long 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

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

Long Beach, CA and Nosara differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($3,185 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 398% higher in Long 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: $2,057 in Long Beach, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,185 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Long 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 74% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.