Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Garberville, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,922 in Garberville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Garberville, CA
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Garberville, CA Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Garberville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $2,922 in Garberville, CA, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Garberville, CA $2,922

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $4,470 in Garberville, CA, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Garberville, CA $4,470

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $6,018 in Garberville, CA, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Garberville, CA $6,018

Nosara is about 37% cheaper than Garberville, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Garberville, CA sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Garberville, CA by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$25.13 $25.13

-50.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$120 $120

-49.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$12.09 $12.09

-34.82%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$5.63 $5.63

-21.85%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$3.55 $3.55

-51.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$2.40 $2.40

-44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$7.88 $7.88

-57.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$8.16 $8.16

-44.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.38 $1.38

18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$4.87 $4.87

-35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$4.45 $4.45

-46.29%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$6.40 $6.40

-45.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$26.37 $26.37

-72.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$18.25 $18.25

-43.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$23.21 $23.21

-39.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$7.75 $7.75

-70.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$2.36 $2.36

-31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$8.72 $8.72

-44.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$6.65 $6.65

-74.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$4.95 $4.95

-21.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$3.01 $3.01

20.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.48 $2.48

-54.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$3.09 $3.09

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$11.96 $11.96

-58.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$20.32 $20.32

-3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.76 $1.76

65.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$3.61 $3.61

-1.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.99 $1.99

-39.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$59.9 $59.9

23.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$3.18 $3.18

-32.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$2.43 $2.43

-32.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$39.68 $39.68

-77.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.55 $1.55

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$27.5K $27.5K

23.32%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$26.3K $26.3K

46.03%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$189 $189

-49.52%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$64.9 $64.9

-44.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$66.3 $66.3

-21.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$37.92 $37.92

78.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$16.17 $16.17

-53.37%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$2,521 $2,521

-80.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$36.5K $36.5K

-67.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$70.6 $70.6

-21.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$48.60 $48.60

15.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$118 $118

-33.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$205 $205

-61.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,572 $1,572

-48.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,274 $1,274

-36.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,490 $2,490

60.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$2,127 $2,127

-32.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$2,463 $2,463

186.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$2,265 $2,265

-47.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.77

27.33%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Garberville, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Garberville, CA

$1.3K 43.6% 58.2% $469

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Garberville, CA

$591 20.2% 68.4% $240

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Garberville, CA

$384 13.2% 80.2% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Garberville, CA

$320 10.9% 74.2% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Garberville, CA

$199 6.8% 64.7% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Garberville, CA

$83 2.9% 6.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Garberville, CA

$70 2.4% 15% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,572 in Garberville, CA. 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 $61 in Nosara versus $120 in Garberville, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $591 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Garberville, CA

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

913

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Garberville, CA 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Garberville, 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 Garberville, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Garberville, CA is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $4,383 in Garberville, CA. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,572 in Garberville, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $2,922 in Garberville, CA. That makes Nosara about 37% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Garberville, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.