Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mountain View, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,611 in Mountain View, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

222

Cost of Living Index in Mountain View, CA
Learn more

Mountain View, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Mountain View, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,611

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,611 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $4,611
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $6,506 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $6,506
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $8,402 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $8,402
Nosara $3,818

Mountain View, CA costs about 151% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mountain View, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Mountain View, CA by 242%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$12.35 ₡5,539

63.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$61.2 ₡27.4K

63.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$7.52 ₡3,373

58.24%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.41 ₡1,978

21.32%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$1.74 ₡780

60.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.31 ₡587

109.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.28 ₡1,471

112.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$4.47 ₡2,004

121.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.56 ₡701

-18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.02 ₡1,355

44.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.51 ₡1,125

95.62%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$3.57 ₡1,603

51.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$7.43 ₡3,333

119.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$10.52 ₡4,717

9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$13.97 ₡6,265

-7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.35 ₡1,052

136.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.61 ₡720

23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.80 ₡2,152

-7.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$1.61 ₡724

256.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.80 ₡1,703

-0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.69 ₡1,657

52.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.13 ₡507

125.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.66 ₡1,191

2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$5.18 ₡2,321

121.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 $13.05

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.63 ₡1,626

-33.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.12 ₡504

333.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.14 ₡958

89.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.57 ₡703

210.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.52 ₡682

-0.66%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

69.80%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.36%

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

$289 $289

$96.3 ₡43.2K

200.26%

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

$44.50 $44.50

$35.89 ₡16.1K

23.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

15.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 $71.2

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-0.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.19 $12.19

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-65.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.92 $16.92

$7.89 ₡3,539

114.45%

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

$2,281 $2,281

$494 ₡221.6K

361.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

104.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$102 $102

$55.4 ₡24.8K

83.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 $148

$77.9 ₡34.9K

90.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$79.6 ₡35.7K

86.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,890 $2,890

$788 ₡353.4K

266.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,085 $3,085

$794 ₡356.2K

288.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,542 $5,542

$3,939 ₡1.8M

40.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,997 $4,997

$1,419 ₡636.5K

252.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

52.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

735.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,341 $9,341

$864 ₡387.3K

981.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

8.62

-28.77%

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

Last update for Mountain View, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mountain View, CA

$3.1K 66.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 74.3% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

Mountain View, CA

$436 9.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 19.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mountain View, CA

$396 8.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 53.1% $210

Eating Out

Mountain View, CA

$338 7.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.4% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Mountain View, CA

$203 4.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 40.7% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Mountain View, CA

$105 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16.8% $18

Getting Around

Mountain View, CA

$48 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 81.9% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,890 in Mountain View, 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.

Salaries run about 982% higher in Mountain View, 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 $100 in Mountain View, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mountain View, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

1 h ahead of Mountain View, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,739

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Mountain View, CA Nosara 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mountain View, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,611 in Mountain View, CA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 151% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,916 per month in Mountain View, 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 $100 in Mountain View, 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 24% more in Mountain View, 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 Mountain View, CA at $4,611. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mountain View, 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $4,611 in Mountain View, 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, Mountain View, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.