Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Apple Valley, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA: $1,252 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Apple Valley, CA
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Apple Valley, CA Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Apple Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Apple Valley, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Apple Valley, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,252 in Apple Valley, CA.

Nosara $1,835
Apple Valley, CA $1,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,916 in Apple Valley, CA.

Nosara $2,825
Apple Valley, CA $1,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,580 in Apple Valley, CA.

Nosara $3,814
Apple Valley, CA $2,580

Living in Nosara is roughly 47% more expensive than in Apple Valley, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Apple Valley, CA is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$19.67 $19.67

-37.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$47.18 $47.18

29.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.95 $9.95

-22.01%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$5.05 $5.05

-12.08%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.43 $2.43

-26.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.54 $1.54

-16.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$4.93 $4.93

-34.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.89 $5.89

-24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.89 $0.89

74.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$3.89 $3.89

-20.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.92 $2.92

-13.36%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.04 $2.04

69.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$14.08 $14.08

-48.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$13.93 $13.93

-26.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.27 $12.27

14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$4.83 $4.83

-52.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.17 $2.17

-24.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.50 $4.50

6.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.85 $4.85

-66.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$4.63 $4.63

-16.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$4.21 $4.21

-10.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.08 $2.08

-47.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$2.22 $2.22

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$11.02 $11.02

-53.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$13.36 $13.36

49.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.64 $1.64

70.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.68 $2.68

31.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.50 $3.50

-38.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.90 $1.90

-17.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$23.66 $23.66

-63.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.38 $1.38

12.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.4K $29.4K

17.50%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.2K $26.2K

48.09%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$250 $250

-62.13%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$80.8 $80.8

-55.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$66.1 $66.1

-19.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.15 $12.15

-34.90%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$548 $548

-10.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,552 $8,552

38.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$31.64 $31.64

73.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$34.39 $34.39

62.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$70.6 $70.6

13.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$140 $140

-44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$5,239 $5,239

-83.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.25

283.11%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Apple Valley, CA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Apple Valley, CA

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Apple Valley, CA

$393 31.4% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Apple Valley, CA

$300 24% 41.2% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Apple Valley, CA

$397 31.7% 116% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Apple Valley, CA

$124 9.9% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Apple Valley, CA

$24 * 1.9% 72.9% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Apple Valley, CA

$13 * 1% 85.3% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

Apple Valley, CA pays 491% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $47.00 in Apple Valley, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $393, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Apple Valley, CA

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

50,109

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Apple Valley, CA 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Apple Valley, CA

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

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

Apple Valley, CA is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 491% lower in Apple Valley, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $548 in Apple Valley, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,252 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Apple Valley, CA but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Apple Valley, CA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Apple Valley, CA is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Apple Valley, CA 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 Apple Valley, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.