Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milton and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,673 in Milton, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Milton
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Milton Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Milton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,673

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,673 in Milton versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Milton $2,673
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in Milton versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Milton $3,762
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,851 in Milton versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Milton $4,851
Nosara $3,818

Living in Milton is roughly 45% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milton 98% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.86 CA$19.60

$12.35 ₡5,539

12.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

12.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CA$12.08

$7.52 ₡3,373

13.56%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.97

$4.41 ₡1,978

-20.41%

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

$3.01 CA$4.26

$1.74 ₡780

72.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$1.31 ₡587

74.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 CA$6.58

$3.28 ₡1,471

41.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 CA$8.21

$4.47 ₡2,004

29.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 CA$2.78

$1.56 ₡701

26.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$3.02 ₡1,355

-29.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$2.51 ₡1,125

3.59%

Eggs

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.57 ₡1,603

-10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 CA$12.33

$7.43 ₡3,333

17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$21.67 CA$30.63

$10.52 ₡4,717

105.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 CA$32.56

$13.97 ₡6,265

64.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 CA$6.92

$2.35 ₡1,052

108.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$1.61 ₡720

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$4.80 ₡2,152

-40.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.45

$1.61 ₡724

139.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$3.80 ₡1,703

-37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CA$3.09

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 CA$3.19

$1.13 ₡507

99.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.61

$2.66 ₡1,191

-30.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.30 CA$15.98

$5.18 ₡2,321

118.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 CA$19.08

$19.88 ₡8,916

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.71

$3.63 ₡1,626

-27.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.12 ₡504

151.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 CA$78.4

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-23.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.14 ₡958

44.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.13

$1.57 ₡703

-4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.06 CA$39.67

$8.52 ₡3,823

229.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 CA$1.42

$1.52 ₡682

-33.55%

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

$24.1K CA$34.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

11.36%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-45.24%

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

$231 CA$326

$96.3 ₡43.2K

139.64%

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

$55.6 CA$78.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

54.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 CA$71.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-5.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 CA$59.3

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-41.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.98 CA$28.25

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 CA$20.13

$7.89 ₡3,539

80.48%

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

$397 CA$562

$494 ₡221.6K

-19.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K CA$15.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 CA$96.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

26.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 CA$64.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-17.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 CA$125

$77.9 ₡34.9K

13.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 CA$198

$79.6 ₡35.7K

75.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 CA$2,125

$788 ₡353.4K

90.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,385 CA$1,958

$794 ₡356.2K

74.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 CA$3,576

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CA$2,850

$1,419 ₡636.5K

42.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,741 CA$6,703

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-31.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,047 CA$5,721

$1,224 ₡549.0K

230.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,170 CA$4,481

$864 ₡387.3K

267.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

8.62

-33.99%

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

Last update for Milton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milton

$1.4K 51.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 42.7% $591

Groceries & Markets

Milton

$414 15.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milton

$337 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 44.9% $151

Eating Out

Milton

$235 8.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 9.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Milton

$154 5.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.1% $34

Getting Around

Milton

$77 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 12.6% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Milton

$70 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,503 in Milton and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton pays 267% 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: $69.0 in Milton vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Milton

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

14:45 2:45 PM

2 h behind Milton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,128

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 17, 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 17, 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

Milton Nosara 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Milton
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

Milton vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milton and Nosara differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,673 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 267% higher in Milton, 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: $1,503 in Milton versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 31% less than in Milton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $397 in Milton versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,673 in Milton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Milton. 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, Milton 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 45% less than in Milton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.