Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Charlottetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,957 in Charlottetown, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Charlottetown despite lower rent and utilities.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Charlottetown
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,957
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Charlottetown

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,957 in Charlottetown, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • Charlottetown $1,957

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,920 in Charlottetown, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • Charlottetown $2,920

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,882 in Charlottetown, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • Charlottetown $3,882

Nosara is about 6% cheaper than Charlottetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Charlottetown sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Charlottetown by 46%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$14.00 CA$19.95
-12.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$59.2 CA$84.3
1.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$9.23 CA$13.16
-18.31%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$3.57 CA$5.08
20.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$1.73 CA$2.46
-0.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$1.29 CA$1.84
4.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$5.52 CA$7.87
-41.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$5.57 CA$7.94
-19.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$2.23 CA$3.18
-29.60%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$2.99 CA$4.27
6.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$4.85 CA$6.91
-50.10%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$3.90 CA$5.56
-8.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$11.34 CA$16.16
-34.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$14.86 CA$21.18
-29.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$16.99 CA$24.22
-19.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$3.52 CA$5.02
-34.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$1.45 CA$2.07
11.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$3.91 CA$5.57
21.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$4.72 CA$6.73
-64.83%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$1.72 CA$2.45
116.28%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$3.12 CA$4.44
14.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$2.67 CA$3.81
-58.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$2.03 CA$2.90
25.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$17.45 CA$24.87
-71.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$13.70 CA$19.52
46.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$3.25 CA$4.64
-14.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$3.09 CA$4.41
14.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
$1.42 CA$2.03
-16.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
$14.18 CA$20.21
408.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$7.29 CA$10.39
-69.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$2.05 CA$2.93
-24.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$27.61 CA$39.35
-67.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$1.24 CA$1.77
26.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$27.6K CA$39.3K
-21.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$18.3K CA$26.1K
88.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$124 CA$177
-24.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$32.57 CA$46.42
7.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$73.0 CA$104
-29.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$56.9 CA$81.1
25.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
$3.55 CA$5.06
898.31%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$10.57 CA$15.07
-25.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$157 CA$224
211.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$39.61 CA$56.5
35.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$33.73 CA$48.08
65.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$83.1 CA$118
-4.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$129 CA$184
-39.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$1,091 CA$1,555
-27.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$823 CA$1,174
-5.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$1,747 CA$2,491
120.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$1,358 CA$1,936
3.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
$3,107 CA$4,428
124.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
$1,923 CA$2,741
-37.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Charlottetown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
$2,415 CA$3,442
-63.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
4.58
88.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Charlottetown: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
Charlottetown
$823 5.6% $44
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Charlottetown
$408 16.8% $59
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
Charlottetown
$233 11.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
Charlottetown
$230 27.5% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Charlottetown
$129 6.9% $8.3
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Charlottetown
$78 10.4% $9
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Charlottetown
$37 56.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,091 in Charlottetown. 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 176% higher in Charlottetown, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $59.0 in Charlottetown. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $408 in Charlottetown – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇨🇦 Charlottetown
🕒 Local time
04:28 4:28 AM
07:28 7:28 AM
3 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
38,809
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Charlottetown 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Charlottetown

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 Charlottetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Charlottetown?
Charlottetown costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Nosara and in Charlottetown?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,936 in Charlottetown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Nosara or Charlottetown?
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.
How much does it cost to live in Nosara compared to Charlottetown?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $1,957 in Charlottetown. That's a gap of about 7%.
How expensive is transport in Nosara compared to Charlottetown?
Public transport costs about 408% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Nosara or in Charlottetown?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Charlottetown at $1,957. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charlottetown it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Charlottetown?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $1,957 in Charlottetown. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Nosara compared to Charlottetown?
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.
Should I move to Nosara or to Charlottetown?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Charlottetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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