Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Markham versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Markham $2,416
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Markham versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Markham $3,465
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,514 in Markham versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Markham $4,514
Nosara $3,818

Living in Markham is roughly 31% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Markham 79% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.70

$12.35 ₡5,547

40.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CA$76.0

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-12.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.89

$7.52 ₡3,377

39.23%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.42

$4.41 ₡1,981

-13.61%

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

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.74 ₡781

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.31 ₡588

-10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$3.28 ₡1,473

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.99

$4.47 ₡2,007

25.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.76

$1.56 ₡702

24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$3.02 ₡1,357

-26.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$2.51 ₡1,127

-24.30%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.25

$3.57 ₡1,605

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.64

$10.52 ₡4,724

11.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CA$9.68

$13.97 ₡6,274

-51.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.25

$2.35 ₡1,054

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.61 ₡721

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$4.80 ₡2,155

-51.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.63

$1.61 ₡725

102.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$3.80 ₡1,706

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.79

$3.69 ₡1,659

-46.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$1.13 ₡507

153.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.66 ₡1,193

-44.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$19.11

$5.18 ₡2,324

159.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$19.88 ₡8,929

-26.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$2.90 ₡1,302

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.54

$3.63 ₡1,628

-12.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$1.12 ₡505

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$127

$72.6 ₡32.6K

22.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$2.14 ₡959

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 CA$26.44

$8.52 ₡3,828

118.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.52 ₡683

-25.66%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.10%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.49%

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

$125 CA$178

$96.3 ₡43.2K

30.23%

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

$26.20 CA$37.26

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.69 CA$65.0

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-14.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.62 CA$60.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.26

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-39.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.49

$7.89 ₡3,544

29.15%

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

$870 CA$1,237

$494 ₡221.9K

76.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$39.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

131.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 CA$61.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-19.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 CA$52.9

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-32.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$130

$77.9 ₡35.0K

16.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$79.6 ₡35.8K

31.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 CA$2,210

$788 ₡353.9K

97.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 CA$1,978

$794 ₡356.7K

75.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 CA$3,838

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-31.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 CA$3,179

$1,419 ₡637.4K

57.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 CA$8,382

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-14.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 CA$7,549

$1,224 ₡549.8K

333.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 CA$4,453

$864 ₡387.8K

262.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

8.62

-47.10%

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

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 57.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 42.9% $597

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$279 * 11.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 26.5% $74

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$197 8.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$124 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Markham

$105 * 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 16.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.7% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,554 in Markham and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 263% 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: $53.0 in Markham vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $352 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

2 h behind Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

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

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Highest

Between locations

Markham Nosara 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

Markham vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 263% higher in Markham, 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: $1,554 in Markham versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $870 in Markham versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Markham pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,416 in Markham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Markham 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 31% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.