Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Campbell River and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,373 in Campbell River, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Campbell River
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Campbell River Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Campbell River

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,373

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,373 in Campbell River versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Campbell River $2,373
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,457 in Campbell River versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Campbell River $3,457
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,540 in Campbell River versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Campbell River $4,540
Nosara $3,818

Living in Campbell River is roughly 29% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Campbell River 76% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.99 CA$26.85

$12.35 ₡5,539

53.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.8 CA$98.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

14.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 CA$14.95

$7.52 ₡3,373

40.69%

Cappuccino

$4.12 CA$5.83

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.58%

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

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.74 ₡780

27.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 CA$1.37

$1.31 ₡587

-25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.28 ₡1,471

70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 CA$8.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

41.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$1.56 ₡701

71.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CA$4.27

$3.02 ₡1,355

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.56

$2.51 ₡1,125

56.57%

Eggs

$4.01 CA$5.67

$3.57 ₡1,603

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 CA$11.49

$7.43 ₡3,333

9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 CA$13.20

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 CA$20.39

$13.97 ₡6,265

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.52

$2.35 ₡1,052

36.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.61 ₡720

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.80 ₡2,152

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.85

$1.61 ₡724

113.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.80

$3.80 ₡1,703

-10.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$3.69 ₡1,657

-22.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 CA$4.45

$1.13 ₡507

178.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.66 ₡1,191

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.43 CA$20.40

$5.18 ₡2,321

178.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 CA$24.57

$19.88 ₡8,916

-12.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$2.90 ₡1,300

35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CA$4.98

$3.63 ₡1,626

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 CA$2.01

$1.12 ₡504

27.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 CA$3.87

$2.14 ₡958

27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 CA$2.28

$1.57 ₡703

2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.41 CA$48.64

$8.52 ₡3,823

303.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.52 ₡682

-17.11%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

25.89%

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

$18.4K CA$26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.82%

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

$52.3 CA$73.9

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-45.73%

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

$44.43 CA$62.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

23.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$53.6 ₡24.0K

16.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.21 CA$63.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 CA$14.70

$7.89 ₡3,539

31.81%

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

$894 CA$1,264

$494 ₡221.6K

80.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K CA$32.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

94.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.33 CA$61.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-19.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 CA$63.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 CA$97.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-11.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 CA$125

$79.6 ₡35.7K

10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 CA$2,058

$788 ₡353.4K

84.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 CA$1,918

$794 ₡356.2K

70.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 CA$3,115

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-44.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 CA$3,036

$1,419 ₡636.5K

51.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,283 CA$3,228

$864 ₡387.3K

164.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

8.62

-50.00%

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

Last update for Campbell River: 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

Campbell River

$1.4K 57.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 41.5% $562

Groceries & Markets

Campbell River

$378 15.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.9% $26

Eating Out

Campbell River

$286 12.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 26% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Campbell River

$159 6.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 16.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Campbell River

$111 4.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Campbell River

$66 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.4% $21

Getting Around

Campbell River

$16 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 428% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,456 in Campbell River and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Campbell River pays 164% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70.0 in Campbell River vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Campbell River

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

1 h ahead of Campbell River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,455

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Campbell River Nosara 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Campbell River
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

Campbell River vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Campbell River. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 164% higher in Campbell River, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,456 in Campbell River versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Campbell River. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,373 per month in Campbell River versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,373 in Campbell River, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Campbell River. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Campbell River 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 29% less than in Campbell River. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.