Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oroville, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,575 in Oroville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Oroville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,575

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,575 per month in Oroville, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Oroville, CA $2,575
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,737 per month in Oroville, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Oroville, CA $3,737
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,899 per month in Oroville, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Oroville, CA $4,899
Nosara $3,814

Oroville, CA costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oroville, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Oroville, CA by 90%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.28 $20.28

$12.34 ₡5,535

64.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

32.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.76 $12.76

$7.76 ₡3,481

64.43%

Cappuccino

$5.51 $5.51

$4.44 ₡1,992

24.10%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.79 ₡803

40.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.29 ₡580

58.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 $7.07

$3.24 ₡1,451

118.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.43 ₡1,985

71.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.55 ₡696

-28.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.08 ₡1,380

6.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.53 ₡1,133

56.92%

Eggs

$5.31 $5.31

$3.45 ₡1,546

53.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$7.32 ₡3,284

55.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.15 $16.15

$10.24 ₡4,594

57.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.86 $22.86

$14.10 ₡6,326

62.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.29 ₡1,027

78.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.64 ₡737

-10.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$4.79 ₡2,149

-36.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.64 ₡735

314.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.85 ₡1,727

-20.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.75 ₡1,681

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.09 ₡488

144.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.27 $10.27

$5.12 ₡2,295

100.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 $12.85

$19.92 ₡8,931

-35.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.80 ₡1,255

-25.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.52 ₡1,580

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.22 ₡549

43.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.17 ₡973

74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.56 ₡698

67.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.63 $33.63

$8.67 ₡3,886

287.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.55 ₡697

-18.06%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.11%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.79%

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

$180 $180

$94.8 ₡42.5K

89.40%

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

$96.2 $96.2

$36.15 ₡16.2K

166.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.54 $29.54

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-44.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 $41.22

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 $12.06

$7.91 ₡3,548

52.47%

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

$1,355 $1,355

$490 ₡219.9K

176.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.0K $27.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

126.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 $32.83

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-41.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 $75.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-6.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$77.9 ₡34.9K

91.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 $1,628

$801 ₡359.1K

103.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$790 ₡354.1K

60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,476 $2,476

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-38.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,409 ₡632.0K

35.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,645 $2,645

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-62.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,075 $2,075

$1,236 ₡554.3K

67.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Oroville, CA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oroville, CA

$1.3K 49.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 37.8% $480

Groceries & Markets

Oroville, CA

$436 17%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 19.9% $87

Eating Out

Oroville, CA

$335 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 36.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oroville, CA

$305 11.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 39.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Oroville, CA

$140 5.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 13.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Oroville, CA

$65 2.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 37.1% $24

Getting Around

Oroville, CA

$24 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 272% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,628 in Oroville, CA versus $801 in Nosara. 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 $81.0 in Oroville, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Oroville, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h ahead of Oroville, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,505

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Between locations

Oroville, CA Nosara 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Oroville, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,575 in Oroville, CA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,863 per month in Oroville, CA and $2,753 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Oroville, CA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Oroville, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Oroville, CA at $2,575. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oroville, 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 $2,575 in Oroville, 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, Oroville, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.