Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,398 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
Learn more

Cambridge Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cambridge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,398 in Cambridge.

Nosara $1,839
Cambridge $2,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,402 in Cambridge.

Nosara $2,828
Cambridge $3,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,406 in Cambridge.

Nosara $3,818
Cambridge $4,406

Living in Nosara costs roughly 23% less than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cambridge 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.30 CA$24.45

-28.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.8 CA$78.9

9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.96 CA$14.07

-24.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.51 CA$4.96

25.64%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.98 CA$2.79

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.32 CA$1.86

-0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.11 CA$7.22

-35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.24 CA$8.82

-28.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.06 CA$2.91

-24.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.38 CA$3.36

26.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.09 CA$4.36

-18.77%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.20 CA$4.53

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.84 CA$15.33

-31.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.33 CA$16.02

-7.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.30 CA$20.22

-2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.95 CA$5.58

-40.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.18 CA$1.67

36.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.00 CA$5.66

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.68 CA$5.20

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.61 CA$3.69

45.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.98 CA$2.79

86.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.04 CA$2.88

-44.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.41 CA$2.00

88.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$12.82 CA$18.13

-59.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.20 CA$17.25

62.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.57 CA$3.63

12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.85 CA$5.44

-5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.44 CA$3.44

-54.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$63.9 CA$90.3

13.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.42 CA$3.42

-11.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.78 CA$2.52

-11.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.60 CA$31.95

-62.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.16 CA$1.63

31.03%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.8K CA$36.5K

-16.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.5K CA$26.2K

86.30%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$149 CA$211

-35.36%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$42.05 CA$59.5

-14.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$49.52 CA$70.0

8.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$28.59 CA$40.42

150.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.28 CA$14.53

-23.25%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$528 CA$746

-6.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.2K CA$22.8K

-26.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.2 CA$76.7

-0.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.82 CA$42.16

85.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$74.3 CA$105

4.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$103 CA$146

-22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,305 CA$1,845

-39.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,299 CA$1,837

-38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,509 CA$3,547

57.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,989 CA$2,812

-28.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,236 CA$5,989

63.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,850 CA$5,443

-68.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,938 CA$4,153

-70.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.09

69.35%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2% 63.6% $505

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cambridge

$345 14.4% 2.2% $7.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cambridge

$262 10.9% 23.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cambridge

$241 10% 29.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cambridge

$118 4.9% 2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cambridge

$49 2.1% 43.7% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cambridge

$85 3.5% 2.5% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,305 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 240% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $56.0 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $345 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

138,479

💱 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 Cambridge 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 240% lower in Cambridge. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,305 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cambridge pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $56.0 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,398 in Cambridge, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cambridge, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cambridge 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 30% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.