Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hearst and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,210 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Hearst versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Hearst $2,210
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,203 in Hearst versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Hearst $3,203
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Hearst versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Hearst $4,197
Nosara $3,814

Living in Hearst is roughly 20% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hearst 63% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 CA$24.53

$12.34 ₡5,535

40.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 CA$93.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

7.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 CA$15.09

$7.76 ₡3,481

37.50%

Cappuccino

$3.60 CA$5.09

$4.44 ₡1,992

-18.92%

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

$2.01 CA$2.83

$1.79 ₡803

12.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$1.29 ₡580

20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 CA$7.32

$3.24 ₡1,451

59.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 CA$7.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$1.55 ₡696

34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$3.08 ₡1,380

-17.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$2.53 ₡1,133

30.04%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.73

$3.45 ₡1,546

-3.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$7.32 ₡3,284

32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.53 CA$16.30

$10.24 ₡4,594

12.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 CA$20.15

$14.10 ₡6,326

1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.35

$2.29 ₡1,027

65.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.64 ₡737

-23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.13

$4.79 ₡2,149

-24.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.18

$1.64 ₡735

123.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$3.75 ₡1,681

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$1.09 ₡488

127.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.59 ₡1,160

-39.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 CA$19.63

$5.12 ₡2,295

171.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$19.92 ₡8,931

-35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$2.80 ₡1,255

-6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.52 ₡1,580

-12.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.22 ₡549

83.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-15.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$2.17 ₡973

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.56 ₡698

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.95 CA$32.44

$8.67 ₡3,886

164.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.55 ₡697

-26.45%

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

$27.9K CA$39.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.37%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-51.29%

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

$132 CA$186

$94.8 ₡42.5K

38.82%

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

$38.55 CA$54.5

$36.15 ₡16.2K

6.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CA$77.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

2.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 CA$57.2

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-45.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$25.18

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-50.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 CA$15.72

$7.91 ₡3,548

40.58%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$490 ₡219.9K

52.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

9.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 CA$75.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-2.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 CA$54.3

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-31.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$118

$80.4 ₡36.0K

3.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$145

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,724

$801 ₡359.1K

52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 CA$1,560

$790 ₡354.1K

39.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 CA$2,711

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-52.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 CA$2,384

$1,409 ₡632.0K

19.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,860

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-41.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 CA$5,028

$1,236 ₡554.3K

187.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,120 CA$4,410

$887 ₡397.6K

251.87%

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 Hearst: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 28.5% $314

Groceries & Markets

Hearst

$347 15.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 0.7% $2.6

Eating Out

Hearst

$265 12%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 19.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hearst

$225 10.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 18.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Hearst

$125 5.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 3.3% $4.1

Getting Around

Hearst

$81 3.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 9.5% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Hearst

$63 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 42.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,220 in Hearst and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays 252% 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: $66.0 in Hearst vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $347 vs $350, with Hearst cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hearst

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

08:53 8:53 AM

2 h behind Hearst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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 21, 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 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Hearst Nosara 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hearst
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

Hearst vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hearst and Nosara differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 252% higher in Hearst, 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: $1,220 in Hearst versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $748 in Hearst versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hearst pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,210 in Hearst, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Hearst. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Hearst 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 20% less than in Hearst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.