Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,704 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $2,704
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,049 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $4,049
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,394 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $5,394
Nosara $3,814

Monrovia, CA costs about 47% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monrovia, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Monrovia, CA by 100%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$12.34 ₡5,535

101.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.3 ₡27.5K

65.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$7.76 ₡3,481

50.26%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.44 ₡1,992

26.35%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.79 ₡803

49.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.29 ₡580

52.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 $8.23

$3.24 ₡1,451

154.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 $9.63

$4.43 ₡1,985

117.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.55 ₡696

-23.87%

White Bread (500g)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.08 ₡1,380

89.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.53 ₡1,133

67.19%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$3.45 ₡1,546

43.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$7.32 ₡3,284

69.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.92 $20.92

$10.24 ₡4,594

104.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$14.10 ₡6,326

-0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.29 ₡1,027

145.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.64 ₡737

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$4.79 ₡2,149

-10.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$1.64 ₡735

287.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.85 ₡1,727

-5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.75 ₡1,681

-6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.09 ₡488

120.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.59 ₡1,160

-12.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$5.12 ₡2,295

127.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.52 ₡1,580

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.22 ₡549

59.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.17 ₡973

112.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.56 ₡698

16.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.58 $35.58

$8.67 ₡3,886

310.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.55 ₡697

3.23%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.76%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.44%

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

$218 $218

$94.8 ₡42.5K

130.01%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

100.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

34.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.11 $39.11

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-46.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$7.91 ₡3,548

49.05%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$490 ₡219.9K

297.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

258.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 $73.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

33.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.92 $40.92

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 $171

$77.9 ₡34.9K

119.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$801 ₡359.1K

96.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$790 ₡354.1K

56.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,409 ₡632.0K

44.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,557 $2,557

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-63.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$1,236 ₡554.3K

90.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monrovia, CA

$1.2K 45.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 36.1% $446

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia, CA

$477 17.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 26.7% $128

Eating Out

Monrovia, CA

$381 14.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 44.1% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia, CA

$362 13.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 49.1% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia, CA

$165 6.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 26.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia, CA

$63 2.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 42.9% $27

Getting Around

Monrovia, CA

$21 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 314% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Monrovia, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Monrovia, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

12:01 12:01 PM

1 h ahead of Monrovia, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,590

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Monrovia, CA Nosara 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,056 per month in Monrovia, 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 $101 in Monrovia, 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 37% more in Monrovia, 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 Monrovia, CA at $2,704. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monrovia, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,704 in Monrovia, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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