Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Banos, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,394 in Los Banos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Los Banos, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Los Banos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Los Banos, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Los Banos, CA $2,394
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,580 in Los Banos, CA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Los Banos, CA $3,580
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,767 in Los Banos, CA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Los Banos, CA $4,767
Nosara $3,814

Living in Los Banos, CA is roughly 30% 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 Banos, CA 77% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$12.34 ₡5,535

20.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.3 ₡27.5K

64.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$7.76 ₡3,481

26.68%

Cappuccino

$5.11 $5.11

$4.44 ₡1,992

15.09%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.79 ₡803

41.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.29 ₡580

58.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 $7.94

$3.24 ₡1,451

145.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.24 $8.24

$4.43 ₡1,985

86.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 ₡696

-33.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.08 ₡1,380

4.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.53 ₡1,133

16.60%

Eggs

$1.58 $1.58

$3.45 ₡1,546

-54.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$7.32 ₡3,284

18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$10.24 ₡4,594

-24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 $12.80

$14.10 ₡6,326

-9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.29 ₡1,027

48.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.64 ₡737

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$4.79 ₡2,149

-41.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.64 ₡735

72.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.85 ₡1,727

-24.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.75 ₡1,681

-34.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.09 ₡488

111.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.59 ₡1,160

-3.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 $11.10

$5.12 ₡2,295

116.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 $14.10

$19.92 ₡8,931

-29.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.80 ₡1,255

-33.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

$3.52 ₡1,580

-62.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.22 ₡549

67.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.17 ₡973

24.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 $32.88

$8.67 ₡3,886

279.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.55 ₡697

-6.45%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.03%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.32%

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

$217 $217

$94.8 ₡42.5K

129.19%

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

$44.68 $44.68

$36.15 ₡16.2K

23.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.7 $88.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

67.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 $39.09

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-47.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$7.91 ₡3,548

87.86%

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

$2,509 $2,509

$490 ₡219.9K

411.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

147.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.82 $23.82

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-56.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.67 $21.67

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-61.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.3 $52.3

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-34.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 $59.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$801 ₡359.1K

102.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 $1,294

$790 ₡354.1K

63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-33.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 $2,280

$1,409 ₡632.0K

61.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 $2,713

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,408 $2,408

$1,236 ₡554.3K

94.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,598 $6,598

$887 ₡397.6K

644.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

8.62

-24.94%

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

Last update for Los Banos, 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

Los Banos, CA

$1.3K 54.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 39% $504

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Banos, CA

$351 14.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 47.5% $167

Groceries & Markets

Los Banos, CA

$307 12.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 13.9% $43

Eating Out

Los Banos, CA

$284 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Los Banos, CA

$71 3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 71.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Los Banos, CA

$69 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 30.2% $21

Getting Around

Los Banos, CA

$19 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 375% $70

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 $1,618 in Los Banos, CA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Banos, CA pays 644% 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: $101 in Los Banos, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $350, with Los Banos, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Banos, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

1 h ahead of Los Banos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,972

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Los Banos, CA Nosara 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Los Banos, 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 644% higher in Los Banos, 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: $1,618 in Los Banos, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Los Banos, CA pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,394 per month in Los Banos, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,394 in Los Banos, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Los Banos, 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 $1,835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Los Banos, 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 30% less than in Los Banos, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.