Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dartmouth and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,993 in Dartmouth, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dartmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dartmouth
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Dartmouth Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dartmouth

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,993

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,993 per month in Dartmouth vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Dartmouth $1,993
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,990 per month in Dartmouth vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Dartmouth $2,990
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Dartmouth vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Dartmouth $3,987
Nosara $3,818

Dartmouth costs about 8% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dartmouth and Nosara sit above the global median – Dartmouth by 48%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.55 CA$15.00

$12.35 ₡5,547

-14.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.5 CA$83.2

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-4.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 CA$9.89

$7.52 ₡3,377

-7.45%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$5.07

$4.41 ₡1,981

-19.27%

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

$2.00 CA$2.84

$1.74 ₡781

14.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$1.31 ₡588

43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 CA$6.33

$3.28 ₡1,473

35.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$8.10

$4.47 ₡2,007

27.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 CA$3.38

$1.56 ₡702

52.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.91

$3.02 ₡1,357

-32.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$2.51 ₡1,127

31.87%

Eggs

$3.49 CA$4.96

$3.57 ₡1,605

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 CA$10.86

$7.43 ₡3,338

2.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 CA$13.05

$10.52 ₡4,724

-12.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 CA$14.74

$13.97 ₡6,274

-25.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.80

$2.35 ₡1,054

43.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.16

$1.61 ₡721

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 CA$6.36

$4.80 ₡2,155

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 CA$8.17

$1.61 ₡725

257.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.88

$3.80 ₡1,706

-46.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 CA$3.00

$3.69 ₡1,659

-42.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.53

$1.13 ₡507

119.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$3.02

$2.66 ₡1,193

-19.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.95 CA$19.83

$5.18 ₡2,324

169.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 CA$20.15

$19.88 ₡8,929

-28.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 CA$4.77

$2.90 ₡1,302

15.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 CA$5.50

$3.63 ₡1,628

6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 CA$2.80

$1.12 ₡505

75.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 CA$84.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-18.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 CA$3.92

$2.14 ₡959

28.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.57 ₡704

-15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.34 CA$30.34

$8.52 ₡3,828

150.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.59

$1.52 ₡683

-26.32%

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

$28.0K CA$39.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

29.44%

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

$18.9K CA$26.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-45.35%

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

$77.5 CA$110

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-19.57%

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

$41.92 CA$59.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

16.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 CA$90.0

$53.6 ₡24.1K

18.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 CA$50.0

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-50.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 CA$17.64

$7.89 ₡3,544

57.29%

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

$373 CA$530

$494 ₡221.9K

-24.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K CA$18.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

11.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 CA$56.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-26.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.13 CA$47.11

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 CA$94.8

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.6 CA$106

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-6.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,727

$788 ₡353.9K

54.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 CA$1,475

$794 ₡356.7K

30.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 CA$2,781

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-50.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 CA$2,585

$1,419 ₡637.4K

28.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,539 CA$3,610

$864 ₡387.8K

193.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

8.62

-46.64%

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

Last update for Dartmouth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dartmouth

$1K 52.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 23.4% $243

Groceries & Markets

Dartmouth

$343 17.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.8% $9.7

Eating Out

Dartmouth

$197 9.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 7.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dartmouth

$183 9.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.7% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Dartmouth

$96 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.8% $24

Getting Around

Dartmouth

$77 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 13.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Dartmouth

$60 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Dartmouth 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 194% higher in Dartmouth, 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 $58.0 in Dartmouth versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $352 – making Dartmouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Dartmouth

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

3 h behind Dartmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dartmouth Nosara 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dartmouth
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

Dartmouth vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,993 in Dartmouth, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,989 per month in Dartmouth 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,993 in Dartmouth and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Dartmouth at $1,993. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dartmouth 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 $1,993 in Dartmouth. 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, Dartmouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.