Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Burns Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Burns Lake outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Burns Lake
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Burns Lake Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Burns Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Burns Lake

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Burns Lake $2,212

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,200 in Burns Lake, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Burns Lake $3,200

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,187 in Burns Lake, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Burns Lake $4,187

Nosara is about 17% cheaper than Burns Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Burns Lake sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Burns Lake by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$15.66 CA$22.14

-21.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$71.4 CA$101

-14.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.40 CA$14.70

-27.69%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.73 CA$5.27

18.23%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.06 CA$2.91

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.50 CA$2.12

-12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.83 CA$6.83

-32.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.88 CA$6.90

-8.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.73 CA$2.45

-9.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.24 CA$3.16

34.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.49 CA$4.94

-28.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.20 CA$4.53

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.50 CA$13.43

-21.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.79 CA$13.84

7.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.72 CA$17.99

9.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.62 CA$5.12

-35.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.35 CA$1.91

19.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.81 CA$5.38

25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.94 CA$5.57

-59.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.47 CA$3.50

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.03 CA$2.86

81.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.65 CA$3.75

-57.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.80 CA$2.55

47.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$14.20 CA$20.07

-63.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.85 CA$18.16

54.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.56 CA$3.61

13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.71 CA$3.84

33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.37 CA$3.34

-52.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$55.3 CA$78.1

31.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.83 CA$4.00

-24.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.65 CA$2.33

-4.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.52 CA$31.84

-62.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.19 CA$1.68

27.73%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.0K CA$36.8K

-16.88%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.1K CA$25.6K

90.98%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$132 CA$187

-27.12%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$38.50 CA$54.4

-6.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$52.6 CA$74.3

1.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.39 CA$57.1

77.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$18.07 CA$25.54

93.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.00 CA$15.56

-28.27%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$756 CA$1,068

-34.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.0K CA$15.6K

7.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$59.6 CA$84.3

-9.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$43.17 CA$61.0

28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.9 CA$117

-5.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$111 CA$157

-28.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,255 CA$1,774

-37.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,137 CA$1,607

-30.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,937 CA$2,739

103.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,720 CA$2,432

-17.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,807 CA$6,795

43.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,129 CA$4,424

-60.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.66

84.98%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Burns Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Burns Lake

$1.1K 51.4% 43.1% $343

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Burns Lake

$331 15% 6.1% $21

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Burns Lake

$249 11.3% 17.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Burns Lake

$223 10.1% 20.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Burns Lake

$134 6% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Burns Lake

$62 2.8% 28.6% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Burns Lake

$76 3.4% 13% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,255 in Burns Lake. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $71.0 in Burns Lake. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $331 in Burns Lake – so Burns Lake wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Burns Lake

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,779

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Burns Lake 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Burns Lake

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 Burns Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burns Lake costs about 20% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,318 in Burns Lake. 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Burns Lake – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $71.0 in Burns Lake. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Burns Lake at $2,212. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burns Lake it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,212 in Burns Lake. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Burns Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.