Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clarita, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,822 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
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Santa Clarita, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,822

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,822 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $3,822
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,089 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $5,089
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,356 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $6,356
Nosara $3,818

Santa Clarita, CA costs about 108% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Clarita, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Clarita, CA by 183%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.35 ₡5,539

61.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.2 ₡27.4K

64.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$7.52 ₡3,373

100.00%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$4.41 ₡1,978

38.55%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.74 ₡780

109.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.31 ₡587

126.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.28 ₡1,471

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

102.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.02 ₡1,355

35.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.51 ₡1,125

96.81%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

38.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$7.43 ₡3,333

158.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$10.52 ₡4,717

-21.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 $16.68

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.35 ₡1,052

173.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.61 ₡720

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.80 ₡2,152

-36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.61 ₡724

88.20%

Potato (1kg)

$8.51 $8.51

$3.80 ₡1,703

123.95%

Onion (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.69 ₡1,657

31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.13 ₡507

218.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.66 ₡1,191

1.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.48 $11.48

$5.18 ₡2,321

121.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 $15.76

$19.88 ₡8,916

-20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.63 ₡1,626

20.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.12 ₡504

127.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.78 $26.78

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-63.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.14 ₡958

33.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.57 ₡703

61.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.8 $60.8

$8.52 ₡3,823

614.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.52 ₡682

-12.50%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

8.22%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.22%

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

$229 $229

$96.3 ₡43.2K

137.72%

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

$55.7 $55.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

55.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

33.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.08 $37.08

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-48.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.22 $25.22

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-27.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$7.89 ₡3,539

80.35%

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

$1,402 $1,402

$494 ₡221.6K

183.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K $37.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

213.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 $74.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

38.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.07 $27.07

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-51.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 $72.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$79.6 ₡35.7K

35.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,850 $2,850

$788 ₡353.4K

261.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 $2,414

$794 ₡356.2K

203.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,759 $3,759

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-4.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,152 $3,152

$1,419 ₡636.5K

122.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,695 $3,695

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-46.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,359 $4,359

$1,224 ₡549.0K

256.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$864 ₡387.3K

499.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.62

-24.71%

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

Last update for Santa Clarita, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.4K 63.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 67.1% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clarita, CA

$444 11.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20.6% $92

Eating Out

Santa Clarita, CA

$364 9.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 41.8% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clarita, CA

$356 9.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.9% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clarita, CA

$127 3.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 5.4% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clarita, CA

$66 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.3% $22

Getting Around

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 66% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,850 in Santa Clarita, 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 500% higher in Santa Clarita, 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 $101 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $444 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Clarita, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,371

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Santa Clarita, CA Nosara 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clarita, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,822 in Santa Clarita, CA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 108% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,734 per month in Santa Clarita, 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 171% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,402 per month in Santa Clarita, 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 Santa Clarita, CA at $3,822. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Clarita, 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 $3,822 in Santa Clarita, 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, Santa Clarita, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.