Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Milton

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,673 in Milton, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
131

Cost of Living Index in Milton
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Milton Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Milton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Milton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,673 in Milton.

Nosara $1,839
Milton $2,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,762 in Milton.

Nosara $2,828
Milton $3,762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,851 in Milton.

Nosara $3,818
Milton $4,851

Living in Nosara costs roughly 31% less than in Milton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Milton 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.86 CA$19.60

-10.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$69.1 CA$97.7

-11.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.54 CA$12.08

-11.94%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.51 CA$4.97

25.64%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.01 CA$4.26

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.28 CA$3.23

-42.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.65 CA$6.58

-29.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.81 CA$8.21

-23.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.97 CA$2.78

-20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.12 CA$3.00

42.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.60 CA$3.67

-3.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.19 CA$4.50

11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.72 CA$12.33

-14.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$21.67 CA$30.63

-51.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$23.03 CA$32.56

-39.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.89 CA$6.92

-51.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.08 CA$1.52

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.87 CA$4.05

67.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.86 CA$5.45

-58.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.38 CA$3.36

59.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.19 CA$3.09

68.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.25 CA$3.19

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.84 CA$2.61

44.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$11.30 CA$15.98

-54.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.50 CA$19.08

47.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.96 CA$2.77

47.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.63 CA$3.71

38.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.82 CA$3.99

-60.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$55.4 CA$78.4

31.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.10 CA$4.38

-30.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.50 CA$2.13

4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$28.06 CA$39.67

-69.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.01 CA$1.42

50.50%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.1K CA$34.0K

-10.20%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.9K CA$26.7K

82.61%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$231 CA$326

-58.27%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$55.6 CA$78.6

-35.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$50.8 CA$71.8

5.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.91 CA$59.3

70.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$19.98 CA$28.25

74.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$14.24 CA$20.13

-44.59%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$397 CA$562

24.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.6K CA$15.0K

11.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$68.5 CA$96.8

-21.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$45.89 CA$64.9

20.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.2 CA$125

-11.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$140 CA$198

-43.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,503 CA$2,125

-47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,385 CA$1,958

-42.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,529 CA$3,576

55.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,016 CA$2,850

-29.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,741 CA$6,703

45.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,047 CA$5,721

-69.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,170 CA$4,481

-72.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.69

51.49%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Milton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Milton

$1.4K 51.8% 74.4% $591

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Milton

$414 15.5% 17.5% $62

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Milton

$235 8.8% 10.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Milton

$337 12.6% 81.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Milton

$154 5.8% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Milton

$70 2.6% 19.4% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Milton

$77 2.9% 11.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,503 in Milton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton pays 267% 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 $69.0 in Milton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $414 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Milton

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

110,128

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Milton 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Milton

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 Milton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Milton differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $2,673 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 267% lower in Milton. 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 $1,503 in Milton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 31% less than in Milton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $397 in Milton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,673 in Milton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Milton. 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 Milton 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 45% less than in Milton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.