Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $31,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

214

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,430

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,430 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $4,430
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $6,581 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $6,581
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $8,732 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $8,732
Nosara $3,818

Santa Monica, CA costs about 141% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Monica, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Monica, CA by 228%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.77 $26.77

$12.35 ₡5,539

116.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$61.2 ₡27.4K

93.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$7.52 ₡3,373

97.87%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$4.41 ₡1,978

34.47%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$1.74 ₡780

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.31 ₡587

83.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.28 ₡1,471

147.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$4.47 ₡2,004

122.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.02 ₡1,355

51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.51 ₡1,125

85.26%

Eggs

$5.73 $5.73

$3.57 ₡1,603

60.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.77 $15.77

$7.43 ₡3,333

112.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$10.52 ₡4,717

35.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 $19.80

$13.97 ₡6,265

41.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.35 ₡1,052

102.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.61 ₡720

42.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$4.80 ₡2,152

-17.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.61 ₡724

238.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.80 ₡1,703

-12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.69 ₡1,657

-23.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.13 ₡507

89.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.66 ₡1,191

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$5.18 ₡2,321

123.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$19.88 ₡8,916

-23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.90 ₡1,300

-16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.63 ₡1,626

-15.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.12 ₡504

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 $67.0

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-7.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.14 ₡958

47.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.57 ₡703

21.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.68 $32.68

$8.52 ₡3,823

283.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.52 ₡682

-4.61%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.29%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.92%

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

$218 $218

$96.3 ₡43.2K

126.19%

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

$46.37 $46.37

$35.89 ₡16.1K

29.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 $65.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

21.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 $70.7

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-1.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.11 $44.11

$34.91 ₡15.7K

26.35%

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 $19.36

$7.89 ₡3,539

145.37%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$494 ₡221.6K

242.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

173.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 $88.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

64.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 $54.8

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$77.9 ₡34.9K

33.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$79.6 ₡35.7K

52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,328 $3,328

$788 ₡353.4K

322.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$794 ₡356.2K

260.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,804 $5,804

$3,939 ₡1.8M

47.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,048 $5,048

$1,419 ₡636.5K

255.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

57.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,924 $7,924

$1,224 ₡549.0K

547.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,900 $6,900

$864 ₡387.3K

699.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA

$2.9K 64.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 72.2% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Monica, CA

$462 10.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 23.7% $109

Eating Out

Santa Monica, CA

$413 9.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 48.7% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Monica, CA

$329 7.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 43.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Monica, CA

$166 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Monica, CA

$109 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.1% $22

Getting Around

Santa Monica, CA

$90 2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,328 in Santa Monica, 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 699% higher in Santa Monica, 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 $118 in Santa Monica, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $462 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Monica, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,736

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Monica, CA Nosara 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 141% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,645 per month in Santa Monica, 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 8% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,694 per month in Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA at $4,430. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Monica, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Santa Monica, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $4,430 in Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.