Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kelowna and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,351 in Kelowna, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Kelowna
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Kelowna Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kelowna

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,351

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,351 in Kelowna versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Kelowna $2,351
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,444 in Kelowna versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Kelowna $3,444
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,536 in Kelowna versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Kelowna $4,536
Nosara $3,712

Living in Kelowna is roughly 28% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kelowna 75% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.53 CA$23.51

$12.22 ₡5,509

35.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.2 CA$82.8

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-3.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 CA$16.16

$7.54 ₡3,399

50.66%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.56

$4.31 ₡1,941

-9.28%

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

$1.97 CA$2.80

$1.72 ₡773

14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.35 ₡608

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 CA$6.42

$3.24 ₡1,459

39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$8.03

$4.48 ₡2,018

25.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.82

$1.57 ₡707

26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.90

$3.17 ₡1,429

-13.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$5.01

$2.42 ₡1,091

45.45%

Eggs

$3.14 CA$4.46

$3.57 ₡1,609

-12.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 CA$12.86

$7.43 ₡3,349

21.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 CA$18.59

$10.42 ₡4,697

25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.06 CA$29.96

$13.66 ₡6,156

54.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.75

$2.32 ₡1,044

43.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.61 ₡728

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.81

$4.74 ₡2,138

-28.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CA$6.77

$1.66 ₡747

186.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.33

$3.72 ₡1,679

-18.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.43

$3.57 ₡1,611

-12.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CA$3.57

$1.10 ₡497

128.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 CA$2.66

$2.55 ₡1,149

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.92

$4.95 ₡2,232

182.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$19.04

$20.01 ₡9,020

-33.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$2.79 ₡1,256

-7.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.41

$3.53 ₡1,589

-12.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 CA$2.45

$1.19 ₡537

44.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.15 CA$68.5

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-33.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.98

$2.24 ₡1,011

24.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 CA$2.43

$1.55 ₡701

10.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.36 CA$47.45

$8.86 ₡3,993

276.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.81

$1.57 ₡708

-19.11%

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

$28.0K CA$39.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

28.51%

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

$17.9K CA$25.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-48.37%

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

$127 CA$181

$93.5 ₡42.1K

35.93%

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

$44.36 CA$63.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

26.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 CA$79.5

$51.5 ₡23.2K

8.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 CA$78.3

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.27 CA$43.05

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-14.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 CA$16.66

$7.84 ₡3,535

49.36%

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

$1,006 CA$1,430

$490 ₡220.7K

105.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

34.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 CA$67.1

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-11.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.66 CA$57.8

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$118

$79.3 ₡35.7K

5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 CA$138

$78.9 ₡35.6K

22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 CA$1,925

$786 ₡354.3K

72.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 CA$1,703

$780 ₡351.6K

53.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,267 CA$3,225

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-41.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 CA$2,736

$1,407 ₡634.4K

36.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,893 CA$5,538

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-44.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,207 CA$4,561

$1,201 ₡541.3K

167.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,012 CA$4,285

$876 ₡395.0K

243.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

8.62

-45.59%

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

Last update for Kelowna: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kelowna

$1.2K 51.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 34.9% $417

Groceries & Markets

Kelowna

$386 16.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.6% $37

Eating Out

Kelowna

$262 11.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 20% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kelowna

$227 9.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 20.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Kelowna

$121 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kelowna

$78 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Kelowna

$66 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 30.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,353 in Kelowna and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kelowna pays 244% 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: $58.0 in Kelowna vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kelowna

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

1 h ahead of Kelowna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,576

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kelowna Nosara 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kelowna
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

Kelowna vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kelowna and Nosara differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,351 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 244% higher in Kelowna, 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: $1,353 in Kelowna versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,351 per month in Kelowna versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 50% less than in Kelowna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,351 in Kelowna, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Kelowna. 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, Kelowna 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 28% less than in Kelowna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.