Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chilliwack

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,154 in Chilliwack, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Chilliwack
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Chilliwack Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Chilliwack

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chilliwack

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,154 in Chilliwack.

Nosara $1,839
Chilliwack $2,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,139 in Chilliwack.

Nosara $2,828
Chilliwack $3,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,125 in Chilliwack.

Nosara $3,818
Chilliwack $4,125

Living in Nosara costs roughly 15% less than in Chilliwack, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Chilliwack 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.10 CA$19.94

-12.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$51.6 CA$73.0

18.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.98 CA$12.70

-16.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.36 CA$6.16

1.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.94 CA$2.75

-10.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.56 CA$2.21

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.84 CA$8.26

-43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.57 CA$7.88

-19.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.02 CA$2.85

-22.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.84 CA$4.01

6.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.39 CA$4.79

-25.96%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.15 CA$4.46

13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.82 CA$19.53

-46.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$13.93 CA$19.69

-24.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$20.15 CA$28.49

-30.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.33 CA$6.12

-45.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.28 CA$1.81

25.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.96 CA$5.60

21.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.50 CA$7.77

-70.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$4.10 CA$5.79

-7.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.58 CA$3.65

43.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.76 CA$3.90

-59.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.38 CA$3.37

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$11.78 CA$16.65

-56.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.08 CA$18.49

51.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.01 CA$2.84

44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.39 CA$3.38

51.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.92 CA$2.71

-41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$33.02 CA$46.68

119.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.97 CA$4.20

-27.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.27 CA$3.21

-30.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$24.86 CA$35.14

-65.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 CA$1.81

18.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.3K CA$38.6K

-20.84%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.6K CA$26.2K

86.01%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$124 CA$176

-22.63%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$44.16 CA$62.4

-18.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$66.9 CA$94.5

-19.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.15 CA$56.8

78.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.49 CA$24.73

99.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.89 CA$16.80

-33.64%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$358 CA$506

38.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.0K CA$17.0K

-1.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.2 CA$73.8

3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.19 CA$58.2

34.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.8 CA$111

-1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.1 CA$137

-18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,161 CA$1,642

-32.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,015 CA$1,434

-21.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,037 CA$2,880

93.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,604 CA$2,268

-11.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,220 CA$4,552

114.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,288 CA$4,649

-62.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,032 CA$4,287

-71.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.72

82.63%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chilliwack: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Chilliwack

$1K 47.1% 27.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Chilliwack

$417 19.4% 18.3% $65

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Chilliwack

$246 11.4% 16.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Chilliwack

$235 10.9% 26.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Chilliwack

$121 5.6% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Chilliwack

$64 3% 26.8% $23

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Chilliwack

$55 2.6% 36.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,161 in Chilliwack. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chilliwack pays 251% 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 $52.0 in Chilliwack. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $417, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Chilliwack

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

83,788

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Chilliwack 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Chilliwack

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 Chilliwack: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Chilliwack. 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 251% lower in Chilliwack. 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 $1,161 in Chilliwack. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $358 in Chilliwack. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chilliwack. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,154 in Chilliwack, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Chilliwack. 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 Chilliwack 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 17% less than in Chilliwack. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.