Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ukiah, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,586 in Ukiah, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ukiah, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,586

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,586 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $2,586
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,849 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $3,849
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,111 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $5,111
Nosara $3,814

Ukiah, CA costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ukiah, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Ukiah, CA by 91%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$12.34 ₡5,535

72.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-9.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 $11.26

$7.76 ₡3,481

45.10%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.44 ₡1,992

22.97%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.79 ₡803

65.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.29 ₡580

78.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.24 ₡1,451

50.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.55 ₡696

-23.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.08 ₡1,380

37.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$2.53 ₡1,133

108.30%

Eggs

$6.21 $6.21

$3.45 ₡1,546

80.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 $12.18

$7.32 ₡3,284

66.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$10.24 ₡4,594

-24.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.15 $18.15

$14.10 ₡6,326

28.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.29 ₡1,027

94.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.64 ₡737

30.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.33 $8.33

$4.79 ₡2,149

73.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$1.64 ₡735

303.05%

Potato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.85 ₡1,727

31.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.75 ₡1,681

-19.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.09 ₡488

126.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.59 ₡1,160

18.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$5.12 ₡2,295

129.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 $20.18

$19.92 ₡8,931

1.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.52 ₡1,580

3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.17 ₡973

49.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.56 ₡698

51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$8.67 ₡3,886

358.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.55 ₡697

-0.65%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.52%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.29%

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

$190 $190

$94.8 ₡42.5K

99.89%

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

$65.3 $65.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

80.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

24.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 $104

$73.8 ₡33.1K

41.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$7.91 ₡3,548

52.72%

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

$1,517 $1,517

$490 ₡219.9K

209.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K $36.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

209.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.00 $37.00

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-32.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.82 $14.82

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-73.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$77.9 ₡34.9K

79.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$801 ₡359.1K

83.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 $1,214

$790 ₡354.1K

53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,332 $2,332

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-41.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$1,409 ₡632.0K

54.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,117 $4,117

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-41.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 $4,017

$1,236 ₡554.3K

225.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Ukiah, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ukiah, CA

$1.2K 47%

Nosara

$790 43% 35% $424

Groceries & Markets

Ukiah, CA

$455 17.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 23.2% $106

Eating Out

Ukiah, CA

$327 12.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 35% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ukiah, CA

$321 12.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 42.7% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Ukiah, CA

$128 5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 30.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ukiah, CA

$125 4.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Ukiah, CA

$15 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 489% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,471 in Ukiah, CA versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Ukiah, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $455 in Ukiah, CA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ukiah, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

1 h ahead of Ukiah, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,036

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Ukiah, CA Nosara 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ukiah, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,586 in Ukiah, CA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,879 per month in Ukiah, CA and $2,753 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 $56.0 in Ukiah, CA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Ukiah, 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 $1,835, than in Ukiah, CA at $2,586. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ukiah, 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,586 in Ukiah, 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, Ukiah, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.