Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Upland, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,837 in Upland, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Upland, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Upland, CA
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Upland, CA Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Upland, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $2,837 in Upland, CA, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Upland, CA $2,837

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $4,100 in Upland, CA, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Upland, CA $4,100

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $5,362 in Upland, CA, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Upland, CA $5,362

Nosara is about 35% cheaper than Upland, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nosara and Upland, CA sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Upland, CA by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$14.96 $14.96

-17.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$68.7 $68.7

-10.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$12.14 $12.14

-36.08%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.95 $1.95

127.69%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.03 $2.03

-11.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.05 $2.05

-37.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$7.63 $7.63

-57.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$9.57 $9.57

-53.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.04 $1.04

49.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.63 $1.63

88.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.14 $2.14

18.22%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.72 $4.72

-26.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.85 $8.85

-17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.50 $6.50

57.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.93 $10.93

29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$4.47 $4.47

-48.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.67 $1.67

-1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.28 $3.28

46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$5.82 $5.82

-71.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.22 $2.22

73.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.25 $2.25

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.96 $1.96

-44.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.87 $1.87

38.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$11.90 $11.90

-56.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$12.13 $12.13

64.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.00 $2.00

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.26 $1.26

179.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$59.5 $59.5

24.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$6.15 $6.15

-64.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.47 $1.47

5.44%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.8K $28.8K

20.11%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$27.6K $27.6K

40.38%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$168 $168

-43.47%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$66.6 $66.6

-45.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$58.1 $58.1

-8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.11 $12.11

-34.68%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$1,890 $1,890

-74.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$54.9 $54.9

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$40.06 $40.06

39.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$88.5 $88.5

-9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$122 $122

-36.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,474 $1,474

-45.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,766 $1,766

-55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,598 $2,598

54.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$2,986 $2,986

-52.81%

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

$5,302 $5,302

-83.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Upland, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Upland, CA

$1.8K 62.2% 124% $976

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Upland, CA

$299 10.5% 14.6% $51

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Upland, CA

$253 8.9% 19% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Upland, CA

$292 10.3% 58.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Upland, CA

$137 4.9% 13.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Upland, CA

$24 * 0.9% 73% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Upland, CA

$66 * 2.3% 26.1% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,474 in Upland, CA. 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 498% higher in Upland, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $69.0 in Upland, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $299 in Upland, CA – so Upland, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Upland, CA

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

73,379

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Upland, CA 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $2,837 in Upland, CA – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $4,255 in Upland, 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $1,890 in Upland, CA. 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 $1,835, than in Upland, CA at $2,837. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Upland, 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,837 in Upland, 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, Upland, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.