Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Armstrong and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,303 in Armstrong, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Armstrong
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Armstrong Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Armstrong

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Armstrong versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Armstrong $2,303
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,345 in Armstrong versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Armstrong $3,345
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Armstrong versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Armstrong $4,386
Nosara $3,818

Living in Armstrong is roughly 25% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Armstrong 71% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.75 CA$29.51

$12.35 ₡5,547

68.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.3 CA$104

$61.2 ₡27.5K

19.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 CA$15.18

$7.52 ₡3,377

42.02%

Cappuccino

$3.57 CA$5.08

$4.41 ₡1,981

-19.05%

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

$2.56 CA$3.65

$1.74 ₡781

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.31 ₡588

29.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 CA$8.48

$3.28 ₡1,473

81.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$4.47 ₡2,007

38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CA$3.25

$1.56 ₡702

46.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$3.02 ₡1,357

-19.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.44

$2.51 ₡1,127

24.30%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.26

$3.57 ₡1,605

3.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 CA$13.77

$7.43 ₡3,338

30.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 CA$14.71

$10.52 ₡4,724

-1.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.95 CA$24.10

$13.97 ₡6,274

21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 CA$5.29

$2.35 ₡1,054

58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.61 ₡721

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.75

$4.80 ₡2,155

-15.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.79

$1.61 ₡725

152.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.61

$3.80 ₡1,706

-33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$3.69 ₡1,659

-39.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CA$3.49

$1.13 ₡507

116.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 CA$2.02

$2.66 ₡1,193

-46.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.98 CA$18.45

$5.18 ₡2,324

150.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 CA$17.59

$19.88 ₡8,929

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 CA$4.62

$2.90 ₡1,302

12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 CA$5.42

$3.63 ₡1,628

4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.12 ₡505

98.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 CA$91.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-11.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 CA$3.03

$2.14 ₡959

-0.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 CA$2.67

$1.57 ₡704

19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 CA$17.22

$8.52 ₡3,828

42.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.75

$1.52 ₡683

-19.08%

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

$24.6K CA$35.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

13.83%

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

$18.4K CA$26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.55%

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

$130 CA$185

$96.3 ₡43.2K

35.11%

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

$27.75 CA$39.46

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-22.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 CA$79.1

$53.6 ₡24.1K

3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.89 CA$53.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-47.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.43 CA$21.94

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 CA$14.21

$7.89 ₡3,544

26.74%

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

$138 CA$197

$494 ₡221.9K

-71.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,902 CA$5,548

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-67.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$82.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

7.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.0

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-31.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 CA$115

$77.9 ₡35.0K

3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 CA$107

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 CA$1,505

$788 ₡353.9K

34.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 CA$1,673

$794 ₡356.7K

48.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,808 CA$2,570

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-54.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 CA$2,550

$1,419 ₡637.4K

26.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,559 CA$5,060

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-48.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,697 CA$5,257

$1,224 ₡549.8K

202.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

8.62

-46.87%

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

Last update for Armstrong: 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

Armstrong

$1.2K 51.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.5% $382

Groceries & Markets

Armstrong

$357 15.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.3% $4.6

Eating Out

Armstrong

$300 13%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Armstrong

$214 9.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 13% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Armstrong

$113 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6% $6.8

Getting Around

Armstrong

$85 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 2.5% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Armstrong

$58 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 51% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,058 in Armstrong and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Armstrong vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Armstrong

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

2 h behind Armstrong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Armstrong Nosara 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Armstrong
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

Armstrong vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and eating out. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,455 in Armstrong and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,058 in Armstrong versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 12% less than in Armstrong. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $138 in Armstrong versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,303 in Armstrong, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Armstrong. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Armstrong, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Armstrong and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Armstrong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.