Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Burlington vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Burlington $2,634
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,790 per month in Burlington vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Burlington $3,790
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,946 per month in Burlington vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Burlington $4,946
Nosara $3,818

Burlington costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burlington and Nosara sit above the global median – Burlington by 95%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.10 CA$29.82

$12.35 ₡5,539

70.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 CA$101

$61.2 ₡27.4K

16.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 CA$15.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.29%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$4.41 ₡1,978

-22.90%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.74 ₡780

13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.31 ₡587

16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 CA$7.81

$3.28 ₡1,471

68.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 CA$8.71

$4.47 ₡2,004

37.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.56 ₡701

68.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$3.02 ₡1,355

-7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$2.51 ₡1,125

47.81%

Eggs

$3.51 CA$4.97

$3.57 ₡1,603

-1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$7.43 ₡3,333

33.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$10.52 ₡4,717

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 CA$20.10

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CA$5.03

$2.35 ₡1,052

51.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$1.61 ₡720

-6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.84

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$1.61 ₡724

119.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CA$2.61

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.89

$1.13 ₡507

81.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$2.66 ₡1,191

-44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 CA$18.44

$5.18 ₡2,321

151.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.94

$19.88 ₡8,916

-46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 CA$4.02

$3.63 ₡1,626

-21.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$1.12 ₡504

127.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 CA$138

$72.6 ₡32.6K

33.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 CA$7.01

$2.14 ₡958

131.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.57 ₡703

52.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 CA$59.7

$8.52 ₡3,823

395.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.52 ₡682

-24.34%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.00%

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

$20.2K CA$28.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.58%

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

$143 CA$202

$96.3 ₡43.2K

48.17%

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

$44.20 CA$62.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 CA$94.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

24.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 CA$72.5

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-28.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 CA$41.65

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-15.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 CA$22.51

$7.89 ₡3,539

101.90%

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

$1,151 CA$1,628

$494 ₡221.6K

133.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K CA$27.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

61.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 CA$96.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

26.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.8 CA$90.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

15.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 CA$137

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 CA$137

$79.6 ₡35.7K

21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 CA$2,286

$788 ₡353.4K

105.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 CA$1,969

$794 ₡356.2K

75.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 CA$3,616

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 CA$3,019

$1,419 ₡636.5K

50.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 CA$7,087

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-27.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,029 CA$5,696

$1,224 ₡549.0K

229.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 CA$4,468

$864 ₡387.3K

266.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

8.62

-47.56%

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

Last update for Burlington: 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

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 43% $599

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$338 12.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 4.2% $14

Eating Out

Burlington

$296 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$254 9.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 26.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$147 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.1% $27

Getting Around

Burlington

$124 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 30% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$83 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.1% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,617 in Burlington 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 266% higher in Burlington, 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 $71.0 in Burlington versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Burlington vs $352 in Nosara – so Burlington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

2 h behind Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burlington Nosara 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington
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

Burlington vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,952 per month in Burlington 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,151 per month in Burlington and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Burlington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.