Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Owen Sound

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,036 in Owen Sound, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Owen Sound

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,036 in Owen Sound, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Owen Sound $2,036

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,109 in Owen Sound, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Owen Sound $3,109

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,181 in Owen Sound, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Owen Sound $4,181

Nosara is about 10% cheaper than Owen Sound, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Owen Sound sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Owen Sound by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.16 CA$20.01

-12.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$47.95 CA$67.8

27.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.97 CA$12.68

-16.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.39 CA$4.80

30.09%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.04 CA$2.88

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.60 CA$2.26

-18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.10 CA$5.79

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.67 CA$8.02

-21.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.39 CA$3.38

-34.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.82 CA$3.99

7.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.33 CA$4.71

-24.62%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.29 CA$6.07

-16.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.22 CA$13.03

-19.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$15.78 CA$22.31

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$23.44 CA$33.13

-40.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.94 CA$9.81

-66.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.83 CA$2.58

-12.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.47 CA$4.90

38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.91 CA$4.11

-44.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.44 CA$3.45

55.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.15 CA$4.45

17.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.21 CA$3.12

-48.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.24 CA$1.76

114.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.23 CA$18.70

-60.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.91 CA$22.49

24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.33 CA$6.12

-33.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.82 CA$6.81

-24.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.06 CA$2.91

-45.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$60.4 CA$85.4

20.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.63 CA$6.54

-53.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$24.97 CA$35.30

-65.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.13 CA$1.60

34.51%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.9K CA$38.1K

-19.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.3K CA$25.9K

88.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$96.9 CA$137

-0.63%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$29.25 CA$41.35

22.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$48.57 CA$68.7

10.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$113 CA$160

-36.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$40.78 CA$57.7

-14.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.57 CA$10.71

4.23%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$466 CA$658

6.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,989 CA$9,880

69.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$34.58 CA$48.88

55.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$26.86 CA$37.97

106.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$86.3 CA$122

-9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$105 CA$148

-24.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,336 CA$1,888

-41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$885 CA$1,251

-10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,161 CA$3,055

82.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,577 CA$2,229

-9.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,951 CA$4,171

-70.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.39

59.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Owen Sound: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Owen Sound

$885 43.5% 11.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Owen Sound

$434 21.3% 23.2% $82

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Owen Sound

$227 11.2% 7.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Owen Sound

$175 8.6% 5.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Owen Sound

$114 5.6% 5.3% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Owen Sound

$128 6.3% 46.6% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Owen Sound

$73 * 3.6% 15.9% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,336 in Owen Sound. 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 242% higher in Owen Sound, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $48.00 in Owen Sound. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $434 in Owen Sound – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

21,341

💱 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 Owen Sound 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Owen Sound

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 Owen Sound: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,036 in Owen Sound – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,054 in Owen Sound. 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.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $466 in Owen Sound. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Owen Sound at $2,036. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Owen Sound 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,036 in Owen Sound. 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, Owen Sound makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.