Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kelowna

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,351 in Kelowna, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Kelowna
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Kelowna Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kelowna

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kelowna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,351 in Kelowna.

Nosara $1,837
Kelowna $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $3,444 in Kelowna.

Nosara $2,775
Kelowna $3,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $4,536 in Kelowna.

Nosara $3,712
Kelowna $4,536

Living in Nosara costs roughly 22% less than in Kelowna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Kelowna 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$16.53 CA$23.51

-26.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$58.2 CA$82.8

3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.36 CA$16.16

-33.63%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.91 CA$5.56

10.23%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.97 CA$2.80

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.70 CA$2.42

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$4.52 CA$6.42

-28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$5.64 CA$8.03

-20.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.98 CA$2.82

-20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.74 CA$3.90

15.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.52 CA$5.01

-31.25%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.14 CA$4.46

13.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.04 CA$12.86

-17.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$13.07 CA$18.59

-20.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$21.06 CA$29.96

-35.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.34 CA$4.75

-30.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.54 CA$2.19

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.38 CA$4.81

40.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.76 CA$6.77

-65.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.04 CA$4.33

22.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$3.11 CA$4.43

14.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.51 CA$3.57

-56.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.87 CA$2.66

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$14.00 CA$19.92

-64.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$13.39 CA$19.04

49.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.58 CA$3.67

8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.10 CA$4.41

13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.72 CA$2.45

-30.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$48.15 CA$68.5

49.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.79 CA$3.98

-19.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.71 CA$2.43

-9.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$33.36 CA$47.45

-73.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.27 CA$1.81

23.62%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.0K CA$39.9K

-22.18%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$17.9K CA$25.4K

93.70%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$127 CA$181

-26.43%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$44.36 CA$63.1

-20.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$55.9 CA$79.5

-7.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$55.1 CA$78.3

29.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$30.27 CA$43.05

17.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$11.71 CA$16.66

-33.05%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$1,006 CA$1,430

-51.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$15.9K CA$22.7K

-25.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$47.17 CA$67.1

13.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$40.66 CA$57.8

37.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$83.3 CA$118

-4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$96.8 CA$138

-18.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,353 CA$1,925

-41.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,197 CA$1,703

-34.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,267 CA$3,225

70.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,924 CA$2,736

-26.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,893 CA$5,538

79.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,207 CA$4,561

-62.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,012 CA$4,285

-70.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.69

83.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kelowna: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kelowna

$1.2K 51.2% 53.5% $417

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kelowna

$386 16.5% 10.6% $37

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kelowna

$262 11.2% 24.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kelowna

$227 9.7% 26.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kelowna

$121 5.2% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kelowna

$78 3.4% 9.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kelowna

$66 2.8% 23.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $1,353 in Kelowna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kelowna pays 244% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $58.0 in Kelowna. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $386, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Kelowna

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

144,576

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kelowna 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kelowna

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 Kelowna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kelowna differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $2,351 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 244% lower in Kelowna. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $1,353 in Kelowna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $2,351 in Kelowna – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 50% less than in Kelowna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,351 in Kelowna, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Kelowna. 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 Kelowna 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 28% less than in Kelowna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.