Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,210 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hearst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,210 in Hearst.

Nosara $1,835
Hearst $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $3,203 in Hearst.

Nosara $2,825
Hearst $3,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $4,197 in Hearst.

Nosara $3,814
Hearst $4,197

Living in Nosara costs roughly 17% less than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 35% above, Hearst 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$17.35 CA$24.53

-28.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$66.0 CA$93.4

-7.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$10.67 CA$15.09

-27.27%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.60 CA$5.09

23.33%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.01 CA$2.83

-10.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.55 CA$2.20

-16.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$5.18 CA$7.32

-37.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.58 CA$7.88

-20.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.09 CA$2.95

-25.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.55 CA$3.60

20.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$3.29 CA$4.65

-23.10%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.34 CA$4.73

3.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.67 CA$13.67

-24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.53 CA$16.30

-11.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$14.25 CA$20.15

-1.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.78 CA$5.35

-39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.26 CA$1.78

30.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.63 CA$5.13

31.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.67 CA$5.18

-55.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.49 CA$3.52

54.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.17 CA$3.06

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.48 CA$3.51

-56.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.57 CA$2.22

64.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$13.89 CA$19.63

-63.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$12.84 CA$18.15

55.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.61 CA$3.70

7.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.09 CA$4.37

13.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.24 CA$3.17

-45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$62.3 CA$88.0

18.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.79 CA$3.95

-22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.40 CA$1.98

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$22.95 CA$32.44

-62.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.14 CA$1.61

35.96%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.9K CA$39.4K

24.02%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$18.9K CA$26.7K

105.28%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$132 CA$186

-27.96%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$38.55 CA$54.5

-6.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$54.4 CA$77.0

-2.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$40.47 CA$57.2

82.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$17.81 CA$25.18

100.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.12 CA$15.72

-28.87%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$748 CA$1,057

-34.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.1K CA$18.5K

-8.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$53.7 CA$75.9

2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$38.42 CA$54.3

45.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$83.4 CA$118

-3.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$103 CA$145

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,220 CA$1,724

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,104 CA$1,560

-28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,918 CA$2,711

108.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,687 CA$2,384

-16.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,145 CA$5,860

70.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$3,557 CA$5,028

-65.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$3,120 CA$4,410

-71.58%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9% 39.8% $314

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Hearst

$347 15.7% 0.7% $2.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Hearst

$265 12% 24.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Hearst

$225 10.2% 22.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Hearst

$125 5.7% 3.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Hearst

$63 2.8% 30% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Hearst

$81 3.7% 8.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $1,220 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays 252% 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 $66.0 in Hearst. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $347, with Hearst cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

11:31 11:31 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,000

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Hearst 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Hearst differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $2,210 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 252% lower in Hearst. 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: $801 in Nosara versus $1,220 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $748 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hearst pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,210 in Hearst, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Hearst. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Hearst 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 20% less than in Hearst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.