Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bathurst

For one person, living is cheaper in Bathurst: $1,735 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Bathurst
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Bathurst Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bathurst

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bathurst

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Bathurst actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,735 in Bathurst, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Bathurst $1,735

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,012 in Bathurst, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Bathurst $2,012

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,289 in Bathurst, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Bathurst $2,289

Nosara costs about 6% more than Bathurst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Bathurst sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Bathurst by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$16.04 CA$22.81

-23.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$41.48 CA$59.0

47.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$11.34 CA$16.12

-33.69%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$3.36 CA$4.78

31.25%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.90 CA$2.70

-8.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$1.56 CA$2.21

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$5.02 CA$7.14

-34.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$5.02 CA$7.14

-10.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.76 CA$2.50

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$2.59 CA$3.69

16.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.47 CA$3.52

1.62%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$3.57 CA$5.08

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$10.86 CA$15.44

-31.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$9.22 CA$13.10

14.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$6.33 CA$9.00

120.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$4.36 CA$6.20

-46.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.58 CA$2.24

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$4.57 CA$6.50

5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.88 CA$2.67

-14.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$2.53 CA$3.59

50.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.49 CA$2.11

147.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.10 CA$2.98

-46.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.62 CA$2.30

64.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$9.68 CA$13.77

-46.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$12.03 CA$17.10

65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$3.13 CA$4.45

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$4.39 CA$6.24

-17.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$3.43 CA$4.88

-67.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$61.8 CA$87.9

17.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$2.87 CA$4.08

-25.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.35 CA$1.92

16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$20.81 CA$29.58

-59.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.20 CA$1.70

26.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.2K CA$40.1K

-23.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.8K CA$26.7K

84.01%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$101 CA$143

-4.46%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$68.9 CA$97.9

-47.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$60.0 CA$85.4

-10.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.21 CA$62.9

61.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$31.92 CA$45.39

9.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$9.03 CA$12.84

-12.62%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$565 CA$803

-12.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,662 CA$2,363

613.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.48 CA$68.9

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$39.24 CA$55.8

41.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$75.8 CA$108

2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$79.1 CA$113

0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$724 CA$1,030

8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$686 CA$976

15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$1,998 CA$2,841

-56.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.77

80.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bathurst: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bathurst

$686 39.5% 13.6% $108

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bathurst

$311 17.9% 11.7% $41

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bathurst

$252 14.5% 18.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bathurst

$230 13.2% 23.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bathurst

$109 6.3% 9.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bathurst

$62 3.6% 28.7% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bathurst

$85 4.9% 2.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $724 in Bathurst. 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 131% higher in Bathurst, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Bathurst. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $311 – making Bathurst the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Bathurst

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,157

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bathurst 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bathurst

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

Nosara vs Bathurst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,603 in Bathurst. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bathurst, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,735 in Bathurst. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Bathurst. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bathurst, where all-in costs run around $1,735, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Bathurst it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bathurst – 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 Bathurst. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.