Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,528 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,528 in Merced, CA versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Merced, CA $2,528
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,698 in Merced, CA versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Merced, CA $3,698
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,868 in Merced, CA versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Merced, CA $4,868
Nosara $3,818

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merced, CA 87% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 $17.30

$12.35 ₡5,539

40.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.53 $39.53

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-35.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.30%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$4.41 ₡1,978

28.57%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.74 ₡780

41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.31 ₡587

12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$3.28 ₡1,471

178.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$4.47 ₡2,004

126.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.56 ₡701

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.02 ₡1,355

43.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.51 ₡1,125

66.53%

Eggs

$5.69 $5.69

$3.57 ₡1,603

59.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$7.43 ₡3,333

159.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

35.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.62 $21.62

$13.97 ₡6,265

54.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.35 ₡1,052

89.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.61 ₡720

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$4.80 ₡2,152

12.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.61 ₡724

232.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.80 ₡1,703

-8.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.69 ₡1,657

-19.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.13 ₡507

115.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.66 ₡1,191

-3.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$5.18 ₡2,321

129.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$19.88 ₡8,916

-20.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.90 ₡1,300

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.63 ₡1,626

-6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.12 ₡504

33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-17.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.14 ₡958

42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.57 ₡703

5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 $26.51

$8.52 ₡3,823

211.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

72.40%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.35%

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

$237 $237

$96.3 ₡43.2K

146.60%

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

$29.93 $29.93

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-16.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.7 $82.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

54.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.75 $32.75

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-54.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 $14.11

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.58%

Cinema Ticket

$16.87 $16.87

$7.89 ₡3,539

113.81%

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

$1,851 $1,851

$494 ₡221.6K

274.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.5K $40.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

241.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-8.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$79.6 ₡35.7K

50.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$788 ₡353.4K

107.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 $1,082

$794 ₡356.2K

36.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 $1,905

$1,419 ₡636.5K

34.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 $2,890

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-58.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,896 $2,896

$1,224 ₡549.0K

136.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 $3,329

$864 ₡387.3K

285.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.62

-26.22%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 26.6% $288

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$479 19%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 26.5% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$350 13.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 46.9% $164

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$149 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.1% $28

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$77 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 12.9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$66 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 31.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,638 in Merced, CA and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays 285% 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: $40.00 in Merced, CA vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

06:30 6:30 AM

1 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 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

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Between locations

Merced, CA Nosara 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Merced, 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

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

Merced, CA and Nosara differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,528 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 285% higher in Merced, 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: $1,638 in Merced, CA versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,851 in Merced, CA versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,528 in Merced, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Merced, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Merced, 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 38% less than in Merced, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.