Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chilliwack and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,154 in Chilliwack, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Chilliwack
Learn more

Chilliwack Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Chilliwack

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,154

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,154 in Chilliwack versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Chilliwack $2,154
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,139 in Chilliwack versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Chilliwack $3,139
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Chilliwack versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Chilliwack $4,125
Nosara $3,818

Living in Chilliwack is roughly 17% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chilliwack 60% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.10 CA$19.94

$12.35 ₡5,539

14.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 CA$73.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-15.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 CA$12.70

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.41%

Cappuccino

$4.36 CA$6.16

$4.41 ₡1,978

-1.13%

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

$1.94 CA$2.75

$1.74 ₡780

11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.31 ₡587

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 CA$8.26

$3.28 ₡1,471

78.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.88

$4.47 ₡2,004

24.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.85

$1.56 ₡701

29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.02 ₡1,355

-5.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

35.06%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.46

$3.57 ₡1,603

-11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$7.43 ₡3,333

86.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 CA$19.69

$10.52 ₡4,717

32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.15 CA$28.49

$13.97 ₡6,265

44.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 CA$6.12

$2.35 ₡1,052

84.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.81

$1.61 ₡720

-20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.60

$4.80 ₡2,152

-17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.50 CA$7.77

$1.61 ₡724

241.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.79

$3.80 ₡1,703

7.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 CA$3.65

$3.69 ₡1,657

-30.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$1.13 ₡507

144.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.37

$2.66 ₡1,191

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 CA$16.65

$5.18 ₡2,321

127.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 CA$18.49

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 CA$2.84

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.12 ₡504

71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.02 CA$46.68

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-54.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 CA$4.20

$2.14 ₡958

38.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.57 ₡703

44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.86 CA$35.14

$8.52 ₡3,823

191.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.81

$1.52 ₡682

-15.79%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.33%

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

$18.6K CA$26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.24%

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

$124 CA$176

$96.3 ₡43.2K

29.24%

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

$44.16 CA$62.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 CA$94.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

24.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 CA$56.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 CA$24.73

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 CA$16.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

50.70%

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

$358 CA$506

$494 ₡221.6K

-27.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K CA$17.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

1.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-3.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.19 CA$58.2

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 CA$111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 CA$137

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 CA$1,642

$788 ₡353.4K

47.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 CA$1,434

$794 ₡356.2K

27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 CA$2,880

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 CA$2,268

$1,419 ₡636.5K

13.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,220 CA$4,552

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-53.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,288 CA$4,649

$1,224 ₡549.0K

168.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,032 CA$4,287

$864 ₡387.3K

251.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

8.62

-45.24%

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

Last update for Chilliwack: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chilliwack

$1K 47.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 21.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

Chilliwack

$417 19.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15.5% $65

Eating Out

Chilliwack

$246 11.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 14% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chilliwack

$235 10.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chilliwack

$121 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chilliwack

$64 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.7% $23

Getting Around

Chilliwack

$55 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 58.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Chilliwack and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chilliwack pays 251% 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: $52.0 in Chilliwack vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $417 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Chilliwack

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:13 4:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

1 h ahead of Chilliwack

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,788

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 17, 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 17, 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

Chilliwack Nosara 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chilliwack
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

Chilliwack vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Chilliwack. 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 251% higher in Chilliwack, 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: $1,161 in Chilliwack versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $358 in Chilliwack versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chilliwack. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,154 in Chilliwack, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Chilliwack. 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, Chilliwack 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 17% less than in Chilliwack. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.