Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marathon and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,218 in Marathon, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Marathon
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Marathon Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Marathon

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,218

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,218 per month in Marathon vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Marathon $2,218
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,213 per month in Marathon vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Marathon $3,213
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in Marathon vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Marathon $4,209
Nosara $3,814

Marathon costs about 21% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Marathon and Nosara sit above the global median – Marathon by 64%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 CA$24.27

$12.34 ₡5,535

39.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 CA$93.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

7.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$7.76 ₡3,481

36.73%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.16

$4.44 ₡1,992

-17.79%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.79 ₡803

7.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.26

$1.29 ₡580

24.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 CA$7.25

$3.24 ₡1,451

58.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

25.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.81

$1.55 ₡696

28.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 CA$3.56

$3.08 ₡1,380

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.62

$2.53 ₡1,133

29.25%

Eggs

$3.42 CA$4.83

$3.45 ₡1,546

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.19

$7.32 ₡3,284

37.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.16 CA$15.78

$10.24 ₡4,594

8.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 CA$20.80

$14.10 ₡6,326

4.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$2.29 ₡1,027

68.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.64 ₡737

-21.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.21

$4.79 ₡2,149

-22.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.32

$1.64 ₡735

129.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$3.75 ₡1,681

-43.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.09 ₡488

123.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.59 ₡1,160

-40.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.15 CA$20.01

$5.12 ₡2,295

176.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 CA$17.68

$19.92 ₡8,931

-37.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.80 ₡1,255

-8.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.25

$3.52 ₡1,580

-14.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.22 ₡549

90.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$87.8

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-15.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.18

$2.17 ₡973

35.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.56 ₡698

-9.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.24 CA$32.86

$8.67 ₡3,886

168.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.55 ₡697

-27.10%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.08%

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

$19.1K CA$27.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-50.68%

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

$132 CA$187

$94.8 ₡42.5K

39.20%

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

$38.75 CA$54.8

$36.15 ₡16.2K

7.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.5 CA$77.1

$53.1 ₡23.8K

2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 CA$56.4

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-45.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 CA$24.92

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-50.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 CA$15.79

$7.91 ₡3,548

41.21%

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

$760 CA$1,074

$490 ₡219.9K

54.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K CA$18.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

7.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.54 CA$53.1

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-32.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 CA$119

$80.4 ₡36.0K

4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$145

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 CA$1,754

$801 ₡359.1K

54.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 CA$1,575

$790 ₡354.1K

41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 CA$2,728

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,701 CA$2,405

$1,409 ₡632.0K

20.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,211 CA$5,953

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-40.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,537 CA$5,000

$1,236 ₡554.3K

186.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 CA$2,431

$887 ₡397.6K

93.97%

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 Marathon: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marathon

$1.1K 50.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 29.1% $324

Groceries & Markets

Marathon

$346 15.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 1% $3.4

Eating Out

Marathon

$264 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 19.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marathon

$225 10.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 18.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Marathon

$125 5.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 3.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Marathon

$81 3.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 9.1% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Marathon

$62 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 44% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,241 in Marathon versus $801 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 94% higher in Marathon, 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 $66.0 in Marathon versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Marathon vs $350 in Nosara – so Marathon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Marathon

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

2 h behind Marathon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

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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Between locations

Marathon Nosara 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Marathon
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

Marathon vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marathon is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,326 per month in Marathon and $2,753 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 $760 per month in Marathon and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Marathon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Marathon at $2,218. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marathon 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, Marathon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.