Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Los Angeles, CA $4,259
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Los Angeles, CA $6,260
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Los Angeles, CA $8,260
Nosara $3,712

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 132% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Angeles, CA 218% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$12.22 ₡5,509

120.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$60.2 ₡27.1K

102.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$7.54 ₡3,399

98.67%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$4.31 ₡1,941

35.50%

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

$3.77 $3.77

$1.72 ₡773

119.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.35 ₡608

97.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.24 ₡1,459

148.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$4.48 ₡2,018

119.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.57 ₡707

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.17 ₡1,429

52.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.42 ₡1,091

85.12%

Eggs

$6.14 $6.14

$3.57 ₡1,609

71.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$7.43 ₡3,349

52.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$10.42 ₡4,697

51.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 $19.94

$13.66 ₡6,156

45.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.32 ₡1,044

125.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.61 ₡728

44.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.74 ₡2,138

-1.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.66 ₡747

240.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.72 ₡1,679

-11.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.57 ₡1,611

-19.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.10 ₡497

90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.55 ₡1,149

-4.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 $12.78

$4.95 ₡2,232

158.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.79 ₡1,256

6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.53 ₡1,589

-20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.19 ₡537

50.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$72.1 ₡32.5K

44.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.24 ₡1,011

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.55 ₡701

21.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 $31.58

$8.86 ₡3,993

256.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.57 ₡708

3.18%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.76%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-23.97%

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

$288 $288

$93.5 ₡42.1K

208.11%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

121.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$51.5 ₡23.2K

56.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 $74.2

$71.4 ₡32.2K

3.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 $11.90

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-66.42%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 $19.79

$7.84 ₡3,535

152.42%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$490 ₡220.7K

242.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

168.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 $91.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

70.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$55.8 ₡25.1K

17.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$79.3 ₡35.7K

53.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 $206

$78.9 ₡35.6K

160.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$786 ₡354.3K

223.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 $2,443

$780 ₡351.6K

213.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,518 $5,518

$3,860 ₡1.7M

42.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$1,407 ₡634.4K

203.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 $7,211

$6,972 ₡3.1M

3.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,930 $6,930

$1,201 ₡541.3K

477.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,173 $4,173

$876 ₡395.0K

376.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 68.1% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 25.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 59.7% $266

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 49.7% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 44.7% $97

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 29.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 376% 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: $122 in Los Angeles, CA vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $467 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

1 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 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 →

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Between locations

Los Angeles, CA Nosara 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, 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

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

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 376% higher in Los Angeles, 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: $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 44% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Los Angeles, 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 132% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.