Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Los Alamos, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,844 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Los Alamos, NM

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 Los Alamos, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,844 per month in Nosara vs $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM, rent included.

Nosara $1,844
Los Alamos, NM $1,065

A couple spends around $2,817 per month in Nosara vs $1,652 in Los Alamos, NM, rent included.

Nosara $2,817
Los Alamos, NM $1,652

A family of three spends $3,790 per month in Nosara vs $2,239 in Los Alamos, NM, rent included.

Nosara $3,790
Los Alamos, NM $2,239

Nosara costs about 73% more than Los Alamos, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Los Alamos, NM is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,568

$17.06 $17.06

-27.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$40.31 $40.31

50.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$9.88 $9.88

-20.95%

Cappuccino

$4.37 ₡1,966

$4.99 $4.99

-12.42%

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

$1.78 ₡800

$2.57 $2.57

-30.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡605

$1.47 $1.47

-8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$6.10 $6.10

-44.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,939

$6.99 $6.99

-38.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$0.96 $0.96

61.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,425

$2.14 $2.14

48.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$4.53 $4.53

-44.59%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.98 $3.98

-11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 ₡3,313

$11.84 $11.84

-37.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,703

$9.66 $9.66

8.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,255

$17.42 $17.42

-20.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.86 $4.86

-53.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.49 $1.49

4.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,113

$2.90 $2.90

62.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$4.37 $4.37

-62.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,746

$1.09 $1.09

255.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,704

$3.38 $3.38

12.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡481

$1.95 $1.95

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,174

$0.48 $0.48

443.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,319

$11.03 $11.03

-53.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,143

$14.19 $14.19

43.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$2.39 $2.39

21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,651

$3.58 $3.58

2.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₡984

$3.98 $3.98

-44.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡829

$2.16 $2.16

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$34.85 $34.85

-77.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.87 $0.87

79.31%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$29.5K $29.5K

13.35%

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

$38.1K ₡17.1M

$25.5K $25.5K

49.17%

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

$95.9 ₡43.1K

$159 $159

-39.67%

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

$35.37 ₡15.9K

$39.48 $39.48

-10.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 ₡24.1K

$71.0 $71.0

-24.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,473

$13.22 $13.22

-41.60%

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

$496 ₡222.8K

$1,343 $1,343

-63.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$23.1K $23.1K

-48.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$20.01 $20.01

172.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$42.97 $42.97

28.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ₡35.9K

$103 $103

-22.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$120 $120

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.5K

$1,089 $1,089

-24.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,889 ₡1.7M

$1,868 $1,868

108.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡627.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

$3,337 $3,337

109.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡549.6K

$3,316 $3,316

-63.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

$8,290 $8,290

-89.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.76

27.51%

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

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$800 43.4%

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$353 19.1%

Los Alamos, NM

$339 31.8% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Los Alamos, NM

$287 26.9% 34.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$185 10%

Los Alamos, NM

$269 25.3% 45.7% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Los Alamos, NM

$128 12.1% 6.8% $8.2

Getting Around

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Los Alamos, NM

$15 * 1.4% 83.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5% 68.1% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Los Alamos, NM are about 9.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $40 in Los Alamos, NM. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $339 – making Los Alamos, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

10:56 10:56 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,179

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Los Alamos, NM 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Los Alamos, NM

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 Los Alamos, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,765 per month in Nosara and $1,597 in Los Alamos, NM. 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 $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,844 in Nosara and $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM. That makes Los Alamos, NM about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $1,343 in Los Alamos, NM. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Nosara at $1,844. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM to $1,844 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.