Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,224 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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 Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kingston

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,224 in Kingston, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Kingston $2,224

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,051 in Kingston, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Kingston $3,051

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,879 in Kingston, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Kingston $3,879

Nosara is about 17% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Kingston sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Kingston by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$14.71 CA$20.97

-16.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$62.7 CA$89.3

-3.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.17 CA$15.92

-32.50%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.51 CA$5.00

22.79%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.01 CA$2.87

-14.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.31 CA$1.86

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.87 CA$8.37

-44.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$6.27 CA$8.93

-28.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.04 CA$2.90

-23.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.44 CA$3.48

29.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.29 CA$4.69

-26.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.90 CA$4.14

23.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.27 CA$14.64

-27.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$11.31 CA$16.12

-7.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.99 CA$14.24

36.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.89 CA$4.12

-19.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.14 CA$1.63

41.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.51 CA$5.00

35.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.55 CA$5.06

-53.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.30 CA$4.71

12.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.24 CA$3.19

59.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.61 CA$3.72

-57.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.58 CA$2.26

61.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$13.40 CA$19.10

-63.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$12.16 CA$17.33

64.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.17 CA$3.09

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.28 CA$4.68

7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$2.48 CA$3.54

-52.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$56.2 CA$80.0

28.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.07 CA$4.37

-27.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.50 CA$2.14

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$31.06 CA$44.27

-71.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.14 CA$1.63

37.72%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$27.6K CA$39.3K

-20.89%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$18.7K CA$26.7K

85.12%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$120 CA$171

-22.18%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$38.49 CA$54.9

-8.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$63.2 CA$90.1

-18.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$28.06 CA$40.00

154.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$8.84 CA$12.60

300.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$10.41 CA$14.84

-24.69%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$514 CA$733

-4.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$51.7 CA$73.7

3.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$32.55 CA$46.39

71.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$79.7 CA$114

-0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$85.3 CA$122

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,535 CA$2,188

-48.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,181 CA$1,684

-33.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,287 CA$3,260

68.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,544 CA$2,201

-8.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,384 CA$4,824

106.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,449 CA$3,491

-50.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$2,979 CA$4,246

-70.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.61

86.98%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3% 51.5% $401

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kingston

$326 14.7% 6.9% $24

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kingston

$248 11.2% 18.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kingston

$222 10% 23.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kingston

$112 5.1% 6.8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kingston

$49 2.2% 43.9% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kingston

$77 3.5% 11.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,535 in Kingston. 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 240% higher in Kingston, 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 $63.0 in Kingston. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $326 in Kingston – so Kingston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

123,363

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Kingston 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $2,224 in Kingston – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $3,336 in Kingston. 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 $1,837 in Nosara and $2,224 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 28% 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 $1,837, than in Kingston at $2,224. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,224 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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