Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manteca, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,729 in Manteca, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Manteca, CA
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Manteca, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Manteca, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,729

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,729 per month in Manteca, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Manteca, CA $2,729
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,880 per month in Manteca, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Manteca, CA $3,880
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,032 per month in Manteca, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Manteca, CA $5,032
Nosara $3,814

Manteca, CA costs about 49% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manteca, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Manteca, CA by 101%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.58 $14.58

$12.34 ₡5,535

18.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.04 $37.04

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-39.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$7.76 ₡3,481

52.58%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$4.44 ₡1,992

15.32%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.79 ₡803

73.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.29 ₡580

82.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.24 ₡1,451

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 $9.24

$4.43 ₡1,985

108.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.55 ₡696

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.08 ₡1,380

41.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.53 ₡1,133

64.03%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$3.45 ₡1,546

71.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$7.32 ₡3,284

172.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 $14.35

$10.24 ₡4,594

40.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.68 $21.68

$14.10 ₡6,326

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.29 ₡1,027

124.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.64 ₡737

21.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$4.79 ₡2,149

16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.64 ₡735

237.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.85 ₡1,727

-7.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.75 ₡1,681

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.09 ₡488

121.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.59 ₡1,160

-4.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.83 $11.83

$5.12 ₡2,295

131.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 $15.38

$19.92 ₡8,931

-22.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.80 ₡1,255

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.52 ₡1,580

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.22 ₡549

80.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.17 ₡973

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.56 ₡698

94.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.42 $29.42

$8.67 ₡3,886

239.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.55 ₡697

1.94%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.03%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.66%

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

$270 $270

$94.8 ₡42.5K

185.08%

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

$46.99 $46.99

$36.15 ₡16.2K

29.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.4 $83.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

57.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 $40.77

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$16.35 $16.35

$7.91 ₡3,548

106.70%

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

$1,817 $1,817

$490 ₡219.9K

270.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.0K $39.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

228.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 $59.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

8.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 $51.8

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$80.4 ₡36.0K

25.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$77.9 ₡34.9K

53.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$801 ₡359.1K

97.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$790 ₡354.1K

63.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 $2,460

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-38.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,792 $2,792

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 $2,416

$1,236 ₡554.3K

95.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,214 $5,214

$887 ₡397.6K

488.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Manteca, CA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manteca, CA

$1.3K 47.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.9% $502

Groceries & Markets

Manteca, CA

$488 17.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 28.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manteca, CA

$401 14.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 54.1% $217

Eating Out

Manteca, CA

$298 10.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 28.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Manteca, CA

$149 5.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 18.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Manteca, CA

$73 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 22% $16

Getting Around

Manteca, CA

$27 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 224% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,579 in Manteca, CA versus $801 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 run about 488% higher in Manteca, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Manteca, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $488 in Manteca, CA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manteca, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

1 h ahead of Manteca, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,592

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

Manteca, CA Nosara 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Manteca, 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

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

Yes – Manteca, CA is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,094 per month in Manteca, CA and $2,753 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 $37.00 in Manteca, 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 40% more in Manteca, 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 $1,835, than in Manteca, CA at $2,729. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manteca, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Manteca, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.