Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacaville, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,619 in Vacaville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Vacaville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,619

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,619 per month in Vacaville, CA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Vacaville, CA $3,619
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,782 per month in Vacaville, CA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Vacaville, CA $4,782
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,945 per month in Vacaville, CA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Vacaville, CA $5,945
Nosara $3,818

Vacaville, CA costs about 97% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vacaville, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Vacaville, CA by 168%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 $19.87

$12.35 ₡5,556

60.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 $45.43

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-25.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$7.52 ₡3,383

75.13%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$4.41 ₡1,984

38.10%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.74 ₡782

78.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.31 ₡589

101.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.28 ₡1,475

108.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$4.47 ₡2,010

60.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.56 ₡703

14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.02 ₡1,359

67.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.51 ₡1,129

96.02%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$3.57 ₡1,608

34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$7.43 ₡3,344

117.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.48 $15.48

$10.52 ₡4,732

47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.36 $22.36

$13.97 ₡6,284

60.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$2.35 ₡1,055

165.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.61 ₡722

18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.80 ₡2,159

-15.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$1.61 ₡726

320.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.80 ₡1,708

-24.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.69 ₡1,662

1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.13 ₡508

156.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.66 ₡1,195

-0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$5.18 ₡2,328

129.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 $14.22

$19.88 ₡8,944

-28.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.90 ₡1,304

11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.63 ₡1,631

1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡506

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.14 ₡961

96.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.57 ₡706

28.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$8.52 ₡3,835

366.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.52 ₡684

1.97%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.47%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.62%

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

$218 $218

$96.3 ₡43.3K

126.16%

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

$62.2 $62.2

$35.89 ₡16.1K

73.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$53.6 ₡24.1K

44.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.84 $44.84

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-37.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$18.13 $18.13

$7.89 ₡3,550

129.78%

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

$2,988 $2,988

$494 ₡222.3K

504.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K $43.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

265.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 $74.7

$53.9 ₡24.3K

38.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 $48.30

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-12.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$77.9 ₡35.1K

27.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$79.6 ₡35.8K

72.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,338 $2,338

$788 ₡354.5K

196.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$794 ₡357.3K

171.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,881 $2,881

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,899 $2,899

$1,419 ₡638.4K

104.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,714 $3,714

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-46.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,189 $5,189

$864 ₡388.5K

500.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

8.62

-21.58%

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

Last update for Vacaville, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vacaville, CA

$2.2K 59.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 63.2% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Vacaville, CA

$505 14%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30.2% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vacaville, CA

$357 9.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48% $171

Eating Out

Vacaville, CA

$343 9.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 38.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Vacaville, CA

$162 4.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Vacaville, CA

$81 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.7% $6.3

Getting Around

Vacaville, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 510% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,338 in Vacaville, 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 501% higher in Vacaville, 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 $45.00 in Vacaville, CA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $505 in Vacaville, CA vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Vacaville, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h ahead of Vacaville, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,670

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vacaville, CA Nosara 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Vacaville, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,619 in Vacaville, CA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,429 per month in Vacaville, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Vacaville, 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 43% more in Vacaville, 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 $1,839, than in Vacaville, CA at $3,619. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vacaville, 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 $3,619 in Vacaville, 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, Vacaville, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.