Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Creston

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,094 in Creston, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Creston
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Creston Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Creston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Creston

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,094 in Creston, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Creston $2,094

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,206 in Creston, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Creston $3,206

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,318 in Creston, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Creston $4,318

Nosara is about 12% cheaper than Creston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Creston sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Creston by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.22 CA$24.34

-28.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$65.8 CA$93.0

-6.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.38 CA$16.08

-33.92%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.05 CA$5.73

8.89%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.96 CA$2.76

-11.22%

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

$5.09 CA$7.20

-35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.80 CA$6.78

-6.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.01 CA$2.84

-22.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.88 CA$4.06

4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.16 CA$4.47

-20.57%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.25 CA$6.00

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.81 CA$13.87

-24.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.10 CA$14.28

4.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.57 CA$20.59

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.76 CA$5.32

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.31 CA$1.85

22.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.35 CA$4.73

43.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.97 CA$5.61

-59.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.16 CA$3.05

75.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.33 CA$3.29

58.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.50 CA$3.53

-54.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.39 CA$1.96

91.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$12.86 CA$18.18

-59.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.25 CA$20.15

39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.22 CA$3.14

30.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.02 CA$4.27

20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.08 CA$2.95

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$53.4 CA$75.5

36.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.90 CA$4.11

-26.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.41 CA$1.99

11.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.72 CA$32.11

-62.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.12 CA$1.59

35.71%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.2K CA$34.2K

-10.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.7K CA$26.5K

84.23%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$132 CA$186

-26.99%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$37.43 CA$52.9

-4.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$53.4 CA$75.5

0.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.37 CA$52.8

91.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$19.25 CA$27.22

81.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.10 CA$15.69

-28.92%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$705 CA$996

-29.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.1K CA$18.5K

-9.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.4 CA$75.5

1.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$43.30 CA$61.2

27.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$92.9 CA$131

-16.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$105 CA$149

-24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,141 CA$1,613

-30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$993 CA$1,403

-19.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,934 CA$2,734

103.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,812 CA$2,561

-21.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,677 CA$5,198

87.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,646 CA$5,155

-66.43%

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 Creston: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Creston

$993 47.4% 25% $198

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Creston

$345 16.5% 2% $6.9

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Creston

$270 12.9% 27.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Creston

$223 10.6% 19.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Creston

$133 6.3% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Creston

$60 2.8% 31.8% $28

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Creston

$72 3.4% 17.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,141 in Creston. 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 $66.0 in Creston. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $345 in Creston – so Creston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Creston

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,583

💱 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 Creston 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Creston

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 Creston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Creston is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,141 in Creston. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $2,094 in Creston. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Creston at $2,094. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Creston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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