Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Gatos, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $36,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

236

Cost of Living Index in Los Gatos, CA
Learn more

Los Gatos, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,903

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,903 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $4,903
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $7,295 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $7,295
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $9,686 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $9,686
Nosara $3,818

Los Gatos, CA costs about 167% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Los Gatos, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Los Gatos, CA by 263%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.15 $25.15

$12.35 ₡5,539

103.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

61.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$7.52 ₡3,373

97.87%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$4.41 ₡1,978

47.39%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.74 ₡780

74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.31 ₡587

87.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.28 ₡1,471

146.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.47 ₡2,004

83.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.56 ₡701

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.02 ₡1,355

46.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.51 ₡1,125

91.24%

Eggs

$6.56 $6.56

$3.57 ₡1,603

83.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.81 $24.81

$7.43 ₡3,333

233.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 $11.69

$10.52 ₡4,717

11.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$13.97 ₡6,265

-6.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.35 ₡1,052

137.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.61 ₡720

92.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.80 ₡2,152

1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$1.61 ₡724

254.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.80 ₡1,703

-10.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.69 ₡1,657

5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.13 ₡507

170.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.66 ₡1,191

2.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.36 $7.36

$5.18 ₡2,321

42.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 $12.81

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.90 ₡1,300

-25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.63 ₡1,626

-29.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.14 ₡958

85.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.57 ₡703

217.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.52 ₡682

3.29%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

39.76%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.49%

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

$374 $374

$96.3 ₡43.2K

288.91%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

61.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

15.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$147 $147

$71.6 ₡32.1K

105.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 $17.05

$7.89 ₡3,539

116.10%

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

$2,282 $2,282

$494 ₡221.6K

361.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

102.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-3.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.24 $39.24

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 $75.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,440 $3,440

$788 ₡353.4K

336.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,222 $3,222

$794 ₡356.2K

305.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,089 $6,089

$1,419 ₡636.5K

329.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,511 $3,511

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-49.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Gatos, CA

$3.2K 65.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 75.3% $2.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Gatos, CA

$494 10.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 62.4% $308

Groceries & Markets

Los Gatos, CA

$473 9.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 25.5% $121

Eating Out

Los Gatos, CA

$403 8.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 47.4% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Los Gatos, CA

$181 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 51.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.8% $18

Getting Around

Los Gatos, CA

$29 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 202% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,440 in Los Gatos, CA versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $473 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

1 h ahead of Los Gatos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,222

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Gatos, CA Nosara 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Los Gatos, CA costs about 167% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,355 per month in Los Gatos, CA and $2,758 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Los Gatos, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,903. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Los Gatos, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.