Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Bernardino, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,815 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
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San Bernardino, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,815 per month in San Bernardino, CA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

San Bernardino, CA $2,815
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,351 per month in San Bernardino, CA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

San Bernardino, CA $4,351
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,888 per month in San Bernardino, CA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

San Bernardino, CA $5,888
Nosara $3,712

San Bernardino, CA costs about 53% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Bernardino, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – San Bernardino, CA by 110%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$12.22 ₡5,509

63.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

26.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.81 $16.81

$7.54 ₡3,399

122.94%

Cappuccino

$5.95 $5.95

$4.31 ₡1,941

38.05%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$1.72 ₡773

98.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.35 ₡608

74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.24 ₡1,459

117.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.68 $9.68

$4.48 ₡2,018

116.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.57 ₡707

-30.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.17 ₡1,429

31.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.42 ₡1,091

93.80%

Eggs

$4.75 $4.75

$3.57 ₡1,609

33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$7.43 ₡3,349

74.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 $8.97

$10.42 ₡4,697

-13.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 $15.13

$13.66 ₡6,156

10.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.32 ₡1,044

109.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.61 ₡728

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.74 ₡2,138

-16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$1.66 ₡747

233.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.72 ₡1,679

1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.57 ₡1,611

-37.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.10 ₡497

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.55 ₡1,149

-28.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.70 $11.70

$4.95 ₡2,232

136.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$20.01 ₡9,020

-26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.79 ₡1,256

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.53 ₡1,589

23.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.19 ₡537

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.3 $58.3

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-19.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 $9.99

$2.24 ₡1,011

345.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.57 ₡708

-6.37%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

69.76%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.72%

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

$221 $221

$93.5 ₡42.1K

136.85%

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

$67.6 $67.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

92.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

42.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 $40.32

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-43.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 $15.23

$7.84 ₡3,535

94.26%

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

$1,171 $1,171

$490 ₡220.7K

139.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

46.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

16.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.93 $47.93

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$79.3 ₡35.7K

33.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$78.9 ₡35.6K

87.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 $1,819

$786 ₡354.3K

131.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$780 ₡351.6K

85.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 $2,589

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-32.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,754 $2,754

$1,407 ₡634.4K

95.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,645 $3,645

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-47.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,609 $3,609

$1,201 ₡541.3K

200.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 $3,444

$876 ₡395.0K

293.04%

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 San Bernardino, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 50.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 46.1% $668

Groceries & Markets

San Bernardino, CA

$393 13.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 11.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Bernardino, CA

$362 12.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 50.3% $182

Eating Out

San Bernardino, CA

$359 12.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 41.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

San Bernardino, CA

$164 5.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 26.4% $43

Getting Around

San Bernardino, CA

$76 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14% $11

Sport & Entertainment

San Bernardino, CA

$71 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,819 in San Bernardino, CA versus $786 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 293% higher in San Bernardino, 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 $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

1 h ahead of San Bernardino, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Bernardino, CA Nosara 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Bernardino, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,815 in San Bernardino, CA, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,222 per month in San Bernardino, CA and $2,756 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 24% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,171 per month in San Bernardino, CA and $490 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 $1,837, than in San Bernardino, CA at $2,815. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Bernardino, 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,815 in San Bernardino, 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, San Bernardino, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.