Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Campbell River

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,373 in Campbell River, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Campbell River
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Campbell River Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Campbell River

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Campbell River

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,373 in Campbell River.

Nosara $1,839
Campbell River $2,373

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,457 in Campbell River.

Nosara $2,828
Campbell River $3,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,540 in Campbell River.

Nosara $3,818
Campbell River $4,540

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Campbell River 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$18.99 CA$26.85

-34.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$69.8 CA$98.6

-12.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.58 CA$14.95

-28.92%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.12 CA$5.83

7.04%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.22 CA$3.14

-21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.97 CA$1.37

35.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.59 CA$7.90

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.32 CA$8.93

-29.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.67 CA$3.78

-41.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.02 CA$4.27

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.93 CA$5.56

-36.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.01 CA$5.67

-10.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.13 CA$11.49

-8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.34 CA$13.20

12.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.42 CA$20.39

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.20 CA$4.52

-26.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.39 CA$1.96

15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.47 CA$4.91

38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.43 CA$4.85

-53.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.39 CA$4.80

12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.86 CA$4.04

29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.15 CA$4.45

-64.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.50 CA$3.54

6.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$14.43 CA$20.40

-64.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.38 CA$24.57

14.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.92 CA$5.54

-26.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.52 CA$4.98

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.43 CA$2.01

-21.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.73 CA$3.87

-21.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.61 CA$2.28

-2.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$34.41 CA$48.64

-75.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.26 CA$1.79

20.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.2K CA$38.5K

-20.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.4K CA$26.0K

88.04%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$52.3 CA$73.9

84.25%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$44.43 CA$62.8

-19.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$62.3 CA$88.0

-13.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$45.21 CA$63.9

58.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.40 CA$14.70

-24.13%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$894 CA$1,264

-44.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$23.0K CA$32.5K

-48.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$43.33 CA$61.3

24.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$44.94 CA$63.5

23.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$69.1 CA$97.7

12.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$88.3 CA$125

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,456 CA$2,058

-45.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,357 CA$1,918

-41.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,204 CA$3,115

78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,148 CA$3,036

-33.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,283 CA$3,228

-62.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.31

100.00%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Campbell River: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Campbell River

$1.4K 57.2% 70.8% $562

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Campbell River

$378 15.9% 7.4% $26

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Campbell River

$286 12.1% 35.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Campbell River

$159 6.7% 14.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Campbell River

$111 4.7% 7.9% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Campbell River

$66 2.8% 24.4% $21

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Campbell River

$16 * 0.7% 81.1% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,456 in Campbell River. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Campbell River pays 164% 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 $70.0 in Campbell River for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $378 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Campbell River

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

36,455

💱 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 Campbell River 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Campbell River

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 Campbell River: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Campbell River. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 164% lower in Campbell River. 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 $1,456 in Campbell River. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Campbell River. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $2,373 in Campbell River – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,373 in Campbell River, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Campbell River. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Campbell River 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 29% less than in Campbell River. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.