Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thousand Oaks, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,845 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

186

Cost of Living Index in Thousand Oaks, CA
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Thousand Oaks, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Thousand Oaks, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,845

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,845 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Thousand Oaks, CA $3,845
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,209 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Thousand Oaks, CA $5,209
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,573 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Thousand Oaks, CA $6,573
Nosara $3,712

Thousand Oaks, CA costs about 109% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thousand Oaks, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Thousand Oaks, CA by 187%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$12.22 ₡5,509

105.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

63.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 $9.00

$7.54 ₡3,399

19.36%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.31 ₡1,941

30.63%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.72 ₡773

63.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.35 ₡608

50.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.24 ₡1,459

145.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$4.48 ₡2,018

109.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.57 ₡707

-24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.17 ₡1,429

25.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.42 ₡1,091

47.93%

Eggs

$5.15 $5.15

$3.57 ₡1,609

44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 $12.54

$7.43 ₡3,349

68.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.47 $20.47

$10.42 ₡4,697

96.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.65 $22.65

$13.66 ₡6,156

65.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.32 ₡1,044

131.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.61 ₡728

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$4.74 ₡2,138

1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$1.66 ₡747

248.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.72 ₡1,679

-2.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.57 ₡1,611

-22.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.10 ₡497

47.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.55 ₡1,149

-10.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$4.95 ₡2,232

105.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 $15.18

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.79 ₡1,256

-39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.53 ₡1,589

-56.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.24 ₡1,011

97.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.55 ₡701

23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.32 $36.32

$8.86 ₡3,993

309.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.57 ₡708

-5.73%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

71.80%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-25.80%

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

$161 $161

$93.5 ₡42.1K

72.72%

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

$47.91 $47.91

$35.11 ₡15.8K

36.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

35.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 $66.1

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-7.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.11 $22.11

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-37.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 $12.12

$7.84 ₡3,535

54.59%

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

$1,718 $1,718

$490 ₡220.7K

251.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K $42.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

255.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.05 $49.05

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-8.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.43 $29.43

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-47.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$78.9 ₡35.6K

52.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,625 $2,625

$786 ₡354.3K

234.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 $2,493

$780 ₡351.6K

219.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,748 $3,748

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,457 $3,457

$1,407 ₡634.4K

145.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,777 $5,777

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-17.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,858 $5,858

$1,201 ₡541.3K

387.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,925 $5,925

$876 ₡395.0K

576.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Thousand Oaks, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thousand Oaks, CA

$2.5K 64.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 68.7% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Thousand Oaks, CA

$472 12.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 26% $123

Eating Out

Thousand Oaks, CA

$373 9.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 43.9% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thousand Oaks, CA

$279 7.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 35.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Thousand Oaks, CA

$125 3.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3.8% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Thousand Oaks, CA

$90 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Thousand Oaks, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 522% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,625 in Thousand Oaks, 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 576% higher in Thousand Oaks, 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 $98.0 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $472 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thousand Oaks, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

06:15 6:15 AM

1 h ahead of Thousand Oaks, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,207

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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Highest

Between locations

Thousand Oaks, CA Nosara 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Thousand Oaks, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,845 in Thousand Oaks, CA, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 109% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,768 per month in Thousand Oaks, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Thousand Oaks, CA and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Thousand Oaks, 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 $1,837, than in Thousand Oaks, CA at $3,845. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thousand Oaks, 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 $3,845 in Thousand Oaks, 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, Thousand Oaks, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.