Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newport Beach, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $5,162 in Newport Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

251

Cost of Living Index in Newport Beach, CA
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Newport Beach, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Newport Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$5,162

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,162 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $5,162
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $7,336 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $7,336
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $9,509 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $9,509
Nosara $3,818

Newport Beach, CA costs about 181% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Newport Beach, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Newport Beach, CA by 282%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 $25.34

$12.35 ₡5,539

105.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.2 ₡27.4K

65.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

97.61%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$4.41 ₡1,978

31.29%

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)

$7.06 $7.06

$3.28 ₡1,471

115.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.44 $9.44

$4.47 ₡2,004

111.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.56 ₡701

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.02 ₡1,355

90.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

68.13%

Eggs

$5.27 $5.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 $12.68

$7.43 ₡3,333

70.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$10.52 ₡4,717

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.35 ₡1,052

104.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.61 ₡720

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.80 ₡2,152

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.61 ₡724

238.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.80 ₡1,703

-3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.69 ₡1,657

-16.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.13 ₡507

89.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.66 ₡1,191

-15.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$5.18 ₡2,321

123.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$19.88 ₡8,916

-23.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.14 ₡958

113.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.57 ₡703

17.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.59 $36.59

$8.52 ₡3,823

329.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.96%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.36%

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

$216 $216

$96.3 ₡43.2K

124.48%

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

$80.0 $80.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

122.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

33.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$71.6 ₡32.1K

62.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.65 $27.65

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-20.80%

Cinema Ticket

$20.16 $20.16

$7.89 ₡3,539

155.51%

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

$1,756 $1,756

$494 ₡221.6K

255.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

205.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

16.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.05 $41.05

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 $78.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$79.6 ₡35.7K

28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,355 $4,355

$788 ₡353.4K

452.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,694 $3,694

$794 ₡356.2K

365.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,177 $7,177

$3,939 ₡1.8M

82.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,170 $6,170

$1,419 ₡636.5K

334.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.0K $16.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

131.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.0K $16.0K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

1205.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,204 $6,204

$864 ₡387.3K

618.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for Newport Beach, 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

Newport Beach, CA

$3.7K 71.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 78.5% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Newport Beach, CA

$409 7.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 13.9% $57

Eating Out

Newport Beach, CA

$393 7.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 46.1% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newport Beach, CA

$367 7.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 49.4% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Newport Beach, CA

$157 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Newport Beach, CA

$128 2.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Newport Beach, CA

$14 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 532% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,355 in Newport Beach, 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 618% higher in Newport Beach, 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 $101 in Newport Beach, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newport Beach, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

1 h ahead of Newport Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,186

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

Newport Beach, CA Nosara 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Newport Beach, 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

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

Yes – Newport Beach, CA is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,743 per month in Newport Beach, 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $5,162 in Newport Beach, CA and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 181%.

Kindergarten costs $1,756 per month in Newport Beach, CA and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Newport Beach, CA at $5,162. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newport Beach, 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, Newport Beach, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.