Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Cabos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,371 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,371

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Los Cabos versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Los Cabos $1,371
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,211 in Los Cabos versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Los Cabos $2,211
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,051 in Los Cabos versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Los Cabos $3,051
Nosara $3,818

Living in Los Cabos costs roughly 25% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Cabos 2% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 MX$412

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.70 MX$807

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-28.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 MX$254

$7.52 ₡3,373

82.98%

Cappuccino

$5.22 MX$96.5

$4.41 ₡1,978

18.37%

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

$2.30 MX$42.51

$1.74 ₡780

32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 MX$38.06

$1.31 ₡587

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

52.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 MX$154

$4.47 ₡2,004

87.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.56 ₡701

5.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 MX$52.8

$3.02 ₡1,355

-5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$44.07

$2.51 ₡1,125

-5.18%

Eggs

$2.41 MX$44.49

$3.57 ₡1,603

-32.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 MX$166

$7.43 ₡3,333

20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 MX$177

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 MX$328

$13.97 ₡6,265

27.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 MX$76.4

$2.35 ₡1,052

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.61 ₡720

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.2

$4.80 ₡2,152

-38.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.70

$1.61 ₡724

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.16

$3.80 ₡1,703

-38.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.73

$3.69 ₡1,657

-31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$1.13 ₡507

9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.94

$2.66 ₡1,191

-67.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$83.6

$5.18 ₡2,321

-12.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$191

$19.88 ₡8,916

-48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.70

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$57.8

$3.63 ₡1,626

-13.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 MX$25.98

$1.12 ₡504

25.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.20

$2.14 ₡958

24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$1.57 ₡703

22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 MX$215

$8.52 ₡3,823

36.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.43

$1.52 ₡682

-9.21%

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

$21.0K MX$388.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-2.79%

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

$24.3K MX$449.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.46%

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

$58.6 MX$1,083

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-39.15%

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

$27.70 MX$512

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-22.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$454

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-54.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 MX$637

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-51.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 MX$371

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 MX$79.1

$7.89 ₡3,539

-45.75%

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

$215 MX$3,971

$494 ₡221.6K

-56.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,652 MX$86.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-60.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 MX$1,724

$53.9 ₡24.2K

72.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 MX$751

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 MX$2,298

$77.9 ₡34.9K

59.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 MX$1,657

$79.6 ₡35.7K

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MX$11.3K

$788 ₡353.4K

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,226

$794 ₡356.2K

-50.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 MX$19.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-44.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 MX$35.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MX$20.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-7.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 MX$15.0K

$864 ₡387.3K

-6.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.62

31.09%

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

Last update for Los Cabos: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Cabos

$391 28.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 103% $403

Eating Out

Los Cabos

$341 24.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 38% $130

Groceries & Markets

Los Cabos

$310 22.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 13.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Los Cabos

$157 11.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Cabos

$111 8.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 67.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Los Cabos

$43 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 103% $44

Getting Around

Los Cabos

$18 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 386% $69

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 $612 in Los Cabos and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 7% 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: $44.00 in Los Cabos vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $352 per month, with Los Cabos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Los Cabos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

4,912

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Cabos Nosara 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Los Cabos
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 Cabos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $612 in Los Cabos versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,371 per month in Los Cabos versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,371 in Los Cabos versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Cabos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Los Cabos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Los Cabos 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 Los Cabos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.