Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Burlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Burlington

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 Burlington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,634 in Burlington, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Burlington $2,634

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,790 in Burlington, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Burlington $3,790

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,946 in Burlington, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Burlington $4,946

Nosara is about 30% cheaper than Burlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Burlington sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Burlington by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$21.10 CA$29.82

-41.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$71.3 CA$101

-14.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.70 CA$15.13

-29.72%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.40 CA$4.81

29.71%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.98 CA$2.80

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.53 CA$2.16

-14.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.52 CA$7.81

-40.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.16 CA$8.71

-27.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.63 CA$3.72

-40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.78 CA$3.93

8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.71 CA$5.24

-32.35%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.51 CA$4.97

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.94 CA$14.05

-25.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.43 CA$14.75

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.22 CA$20.10

-1.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.56 CA$5.03

-33.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.51 CA$2.13

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.72 CA$3.84

76.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.53 CA$4.99

-54.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.92 CA$2.71

97.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.84 CA$2.61

100.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.05 CA$2.89

-44.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.47 CA$2.08

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.04 CA$18.44

-60.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.57 CA$14.94

88.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.61 CA$3.69

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.85 CA$4.02

27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.55 CA$3.61

-56.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$97.3 CA$138

-25.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.96 CA$7.01

-56.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.39 CA$3.38

-34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$42.21 CA$59.7

-79.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.15 CA$1.63

32.17%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.2K CA$38.5K

-20.63%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.2K CA$28.5K

71.18%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$143 CA$202

-32.51%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$44.20 CA$62.5

-18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$66.7 CA$94.3

-19.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.3 CA$72.5

39.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$29.46 CA$41.65

18.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$15.93 CA$22.51

-50.47%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,151 CA$1,628

-57.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$19.2K CA$27.1K

-38.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$68.0 CA$96.1

-20.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$63.8 CA$90.1

-13.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.1 CA$137

-19.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.0 CA$137

-17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,617 CA$2,286

-51.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,393 CA$1,969

-42.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,558 CA$3,616

54.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,136 CA$3,019

-33.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,013 CA$7,087

37.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,029 CA$5,696

-69.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,161 CA$4,468

-72.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.52

90.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9% 75.4% $599

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Burlington

$338 12.8% 4% $14

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Burlington

$296 11.2% 39.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Burlington

$254 9.6% 36.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Burlington

$147 5.6% 22.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Burlington

$83 3.2% 4.9% $4.2

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Burlington

$124 4.7% 42.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,617 in Burlington. 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 266% higher in Burlington, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $71.0 in Burlington. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $338 in Burlington – so Burlington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Burlington

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

183,314

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Burlington 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Burlington

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 Burlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,952 in Burlington. 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 $494 per month in Nosara and $1,151 in Burlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Burlington – 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 $1,839, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington 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, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.