Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,844 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,065 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,239
Nosara $3,790

Los Alamos, NM is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Los Alamos, NM sits 21% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.06 $17.06

$12.38 ₡5,568

37.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.31 $40.31

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-33.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.81 ₡3,513

26.50%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.37 ₡1,966

14.19%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.78 ₡800

44.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.35 ₡605

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.39 ₡1,526

79.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.31 ₡1,939

62.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡699

-38.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.17 ₡1,425

-32.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.51 ₡1,130

80.48%

Eggs

$3.98 $3.98

$3.53 ₡1,585

12.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$7.37 ₡3,313

60.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$10.46 ₡4,703

-7.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 $17.42

$13.91 ₡6,255

25.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.26 ₡1,018

115.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.56 ₡701

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$4.70 ₡2,113

-38.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.62 ₡729

169.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$3.88 ₡1,746

-71.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.79 ₡1,704

-10.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.07 ₡481

82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.61 ₡1,174

-81.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.03 $11.03

$5.16 ₡2,319

113.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 $14.19

$20.33 ₡9,143

-30.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.91 ₡1,310

-17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.67 ₡1,651

-2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.19 ₡984

81.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.84 ₡829

17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.85 $34.85

$7.81 ₡3,513

346.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.56 ₡702

-44.23%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-11.78%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-32.96%

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

$159 $159

$95.9 ₡43.1K

65.75%

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

$39.48 $39.48

$35.37 ₡15.9K

11.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$53.7 ₡24.1K

32.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$7.72 ₡3,473

71.24%

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

$1,343 $1,343

$496 ₡222.8K

170.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

93.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.01 $20.01

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-63.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 $42.97

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-21.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$79.8 ₡35.9K

28.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$77.9 ₡35.0K

53.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 $1,089

$817 ₡367.5K

33.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 $1,868

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-51.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡627.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,337 $3,337

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-52.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 $3,316

$1,222 ₡549.6K

171.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,290 $8,290

$879 ₡395.3K

842.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

8.62

-21.58%

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

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 31, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$339 31.8%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 4% $14

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$287 26.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$269 25.3%

Nosara

$185 10% 31.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$128 12.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.3% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 214% $56

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$15 * 1.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 508% $75

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Nosara

$800 43.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM versus $817 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 in Los Alamos, NM are about 9.4 times higher, 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 $40 in Los Alamos, NM versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $353 – making Los Alamos, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Los Alamos, NM Nosara 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,597 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM and $1,844 in Nosara. That makes Los Alamos, NM about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,343 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Nosara at $1,844. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM to $1,844 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.