Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ontario, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,867 in Ontario, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Ontario, CA
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Ontario, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ontario, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,867

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,867 per month in Ontario, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ontario, CA $2,867
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,937 per month in Ontario, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ontario, CA $2,937
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,007 per month in Ontario, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ontario, CA $3,007
Nosara $3,818

Ontario, CA costs about 56% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ontario, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Ontario, CA by 112%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$12.35 ₡5,539

61.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

27.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.13 $15.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

101.20%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$4.41 ₡1,978

27.89%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.74 ₡780

77.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.31 ₡587

76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 $7.26

$3.28 ₡1,471

121.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.37 $9.37

$4.47 ₡2,004

109.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.02 ₡1,355

32.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

90.84%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$3.57 ₡1,603

28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$7.43 ₡3,333

74.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$10.52 ₡4,717

-15.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 $15.66

$13.97 ₡6,265

12.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.35 ₡1,052

96.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.61 ₡720

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$4.80 ₡2,152

-17.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.61 ₡724

244.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.80 ₡1,703

-5.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.69 ₡1,657

-37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.13 ₡507

75.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.66 ₡1,191

-27.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$5.18 ₡2,321

123.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.63 ₡1,626

13.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 ₡504

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.84 $29.84

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-58.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.14 ₡958

184.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.52 ₡682

0.66%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.52%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.04%

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

$222 $222

$96.3 ₡43.2K

130.13%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

91.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

15.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.0 $64.0

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-10.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.79 $28.79

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-17.53%

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$7.89 ₡3,539

126.74%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$494 ₡221.6K

135.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 $40.76

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$788 ₡353.4K

141.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 $1,503

$794 ₡356.2K

89.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-32.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 $3,989

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-42.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,666 $3,666

$1,224 ₡549.0K

199.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,613 $3,613

$864 ₡387.3K

318.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

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

Last update for Ontario, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ontario, CA

$1.5K 52.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 47.1% $708

Groceries & Markets

Ontario, CA

$389 13.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ontario, CA

$352 12.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.2% $166

Eating Out

Ontario, CA

$349 12.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.3% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Ontario, CA

$133 4.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ontario, CA

$100 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.4% $12

Getting Around

Ontario, CA

$42 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 107% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,900 in Ontario, 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 318% higher in Ontario, 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 $78.0 in Ontario, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ontario, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

1 h ahead of Ontario, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

185,000

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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Ontario, CA Nosara 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ontario, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,867 in Ontario, CA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,300 per month in Ontario, 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.

Public transport costs about 143% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,164 per month in Ontario, 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 Ontario, CA at $2,867. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ontario, 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,867 in Ontario, 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, Ontario, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.