Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pomona, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,738 in Pomona, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Pomona, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,738

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,738 per month in Pomona, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Pomona, CA $2,738
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,227 per month in Pomona, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Pomona, CA $4,227
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,717 per month in Pomona, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Pomona, CA $5,717
Nosara $3,818

Pomona, CA costs about 49% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pomona, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Pomona, CA by 103%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.14 $27.14

$12.35 ₡5,539

119.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

21.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 $9.91

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.78%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.41 ₡1,978

26.30%

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

$1.72 $1.72

$1.74 ₡780

-1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.31 ₡587

-6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.28 ₡1,471

54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 $5.71

$4.47 ₡2,004

27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.02 ₡1,355

32.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.51 ₡1,125

14.34%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$3.57 ₡1,603

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$7.43 ₡3,333

87.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.52 ₡4,717

26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$13.97 ₡6,265

-11.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.35 ₡1,052

44.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.61 ₡720

-16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.61 ₡724

32.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.66 ₡1,191

-36.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$5.18 ₡2,321

114.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 $13.42

$19.88 ₡8,916

-32.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.63 ₡1,626

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.12 ₡504

108.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 $18.89

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-74.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.14 ₡958

58.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.57 ₡703

17.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.63 $23.63

$8.52 ₡3,823

177.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.52 ₡682

-9.87%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.75%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.17%

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

$243 $243

$96.3 ₡43.2K

152.11%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

66.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.83 $48.83

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-8.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.04 $20.04

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-72.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 $40.69

$34.91 ₡15.7K

16.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$7.89 ₡3,539

50.95%

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

$544 $544

$494 ₡221.6K

10.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,403 $8,403

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.96 $30.96

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-42.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.25 $34.25

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-38.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 $71.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 $90.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

14.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 $1,925

$788 ₡353.4K

144.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 $1,496

$794 ₡356.2K

88.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,439 $3,439

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-12.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 $2,959

$1,419 ₡636.5K

108.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.1K $19.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

175.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,544 $4,544

$1,224 ₡549.0K

271.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,693 $3,693

$864 ₡387.3K

327.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Pomona, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pomona, CA

$1.5K 54.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 46.9% $701

Eating Out

Pomona, CA

$362 13.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 41.5% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pomona, CA

$351 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.1% $166

Groceries & Markets

Pomona, CA

$341 12.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Pomona, CA

$103 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Pomona, CA

$44 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 99.2% $44

Getting Around

Pomona, CA

$41 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 114% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,925 in Pomona, 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 328% higher in Pomona, 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 $75.0 in Pomona, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $341 in Pomona, CA vs $352 in Nosara – so Pomona, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pomona, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

1 h ahead of Pomona, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,271

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Pomona, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,738 in Pomona, CA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,106 per month in Pomona, 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 285% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $544 per month in Pomona, 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 Pomona, CA at $2,738. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pomona, 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 $2,738 in Pomona, 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, Pomona, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.