Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dawson City and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Dawson City and in Nosara: $1,888 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Dawson City
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Dawson City Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dawson City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,888

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,888 per month in Dawson City vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Dawson City $1,888
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,267 per month in Dawson City vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Dawson City $3,267
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,647 per month in Dawson City vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Dawson City $4,647
Nosara $3,818

Dawson City costs about 3% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dawson City and Nosara sit above the global median – Dawson City by 40%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.14 CA$34.12

$12.35 ₡5,539

95.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 CA$144

$61.2 ₡27.4K

66.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 CA$14.71

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.43%

Cappuccino

$3.74 CA$5.29

$4.41 ₡1,978

-15.19%

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

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.74 ₡780

2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.31 ₡587

19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$3.28 ₡1,471

58.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.84

$4.47 ₡2,004

24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$1.56 ₡701

67.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 CA$5.81

$3.02 ₡1,355

36.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.95 CA$6.99

$2.51 ₡1,125

97.21%

Eggs

$5.00 CA$7.06

$3.57 ₡1,603

40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 CA$13.66

$7.43 ₡3,333

30.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.65

$10.52 ₡4,717

38.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 CA$20.33

$13.97 ₡6,265

2.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$2.35 ₡1,052

70.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.61 ₡720

-8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.59

$4.80 ₡2,152

-17.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.73

$1.61 ₡724

152.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 CA$3.43

$3.80 ₡1,703

-36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.13 ₡507

114.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.27 CA$20.17

$5.18 ₡2,321

175.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 CA$18.05

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.57

$2.90 ₡1,300

-13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CA$4.20

$3.63 ₡1,626

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.12 ₡504

76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 CA$86.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-15.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.14 ₡958

50.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.57 ₡703

4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 CA$33.48

$8.52 ₡3,823

177.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

29.27%

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

$18.0K CA$25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.79%

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

$136 CA$193

$96.3 ₡43.2K

41.65%

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

$37.51 CA$53.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

4.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 CA$75.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-0.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 CA$58.1

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.56 CA$24.82

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.73

$7.89 ₡3,539

58.94%

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

$848 CA$1,199

$494 ₡221.6K

71.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CA$17.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 CA$89.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

17.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.70 CA$53.3

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 CA$93.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 CA$142

$79.6 ₡35.7K

26.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 CA$1,730

$788 ₡353.4K

55.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 CA$951

$794 ₡356.2K

-15.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 CA$2,729

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-50.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 CA$2,418

$1,419 ₡636.5K

20.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,427 CA$6,258

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 CA$4,484

$1,224 ₡549.0K

159.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,819 CA$3,986

$864 ₡387.3K

226.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

8.62

-45.94%

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

Last update for Dawson City: 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

Dawson City

$672 35.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 18.1% $122

Groceries & Markets

Dawson City

$401 21.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12.2% $49

Eating Out

Dawson City

$320 16.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dawson City

$227 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 18.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Dawson City

$120 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Dawson City

$81 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 7.9% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dawson City

$66 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,224 in Dawson City 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 226% higher in Dawson City, 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 $102 in Dawson City versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Dawson City

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

1 h ahead of Dawson City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,375

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

Dawson City Nosara 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dawson City
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

Dawson City vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dawson City is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,832 per month in Dawson City 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 $848 per month in Dawson City and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Dawson City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Dawson City at $1,888. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dawson City 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, Dawson City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.