Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Squamish, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,634 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Squamish, BC

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,634 in Squamish, BC, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Squamish, BC $2,634

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,904 in Squamish, BC, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Squamish, BC $3,904

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,175 in Squamish, BC, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Squamish, BC $5,175

Nosara is about 30% cheaper than Squamish, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Squamish, BC sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Squamish, BC by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$16.19 CA$23.01

-23.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$48.77 CA$69.3

25.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$10.01 CA$14.22

-24.88%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$3.94 CA$5.60

11.93%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.79 CA$2.54

-2.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$1.47 CA$2.09

-10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$5.57 CA$7.91

-41.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$5.63 CA$8.00

-20.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.76 CA$2.49

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$2.10 CA$2.99

43.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$3.46 CA$4.92

-27.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$3.08 CA$4.38

15.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$12.38 CA$17.60

-39.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$14.93 CA$21.22

-29.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$19.16 CA$27.23

-27.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$5.31 CA$7.54

-55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.16 CA$1.65

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$4.90 CA$6.97

-2.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$3.47 CA$4.93

-53.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$4.16 CA$5.91

-8.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$2.47 CA$3.50

49.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$2.46 CA$3.49

-54.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.86 CA$2.65

43.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$14.86 CA$21.11

-65.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$10.58 CA$15.04

87.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$2.83 CA$4.03

2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$3.52 CA$5.00

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.43 CA$2.03

-21.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$29.87 CA$42.45

143.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$3.60 CA$5.12

-40.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.38 CA$1.96

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$24.89 CA$35.37

-65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.13 CA$1.61

34.51%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.2K CA$37.2K

-17.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.6K CA$26.4K

85.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$116 CA$166

-17.32%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$42.93 CA$61.0

-16.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$62.6 CA$88.9

-14.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$51.0 CA$72.5

40.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$11.42 CA$16.23

-30.91%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$1,084 CA$1,541

-54.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,273 CA$11.8K

43.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.5 CA$73.1

4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$40.42 CA$57.4

37.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$79.3 CA$113

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$94.9 CA$135

-16.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$1,565 CA$2,224

-49.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$1,517 CA$2,156

-47.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$3,188 CA$4,530

23.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$2,719 CA$3,864

-47.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,931 CA$8,429

16.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$3,077 CA$4,374

-71.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.72

82.63%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Squamish, BC: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 57.6% 91% $723

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Squamish, BC

$396 15.1% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Squamish, BC

$259 9.8% 22.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Squamish, BC

$222 8.4% 19.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Squamish, BC

$120 4.5% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8% 15.5% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Squamish, BC

$46 1.8% 47.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,565 in Squamish, BC. 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 256% higher in Squamish, BC, 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 $49.00 in Squamish, BC. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $396 in Squamish, BC – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,512

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Squamish, BC 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Squamish, BC

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 Squamish, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,634 in Squamish, BC – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,951 in Squamish, BC. 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 143% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,084 in Squamish, BC. 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 Squamish, BC at $2,634. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Squamish, BC 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 $2,634 in Squamish, BC. 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, Squamish, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.