Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Stephenville

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,248 in Stephenville, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Stephenville
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Stephenville Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Stephenville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Stephenville

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

A single person spends $1,844 per month in Nosara vs $2,248 in Stephenville, rent included.

Nosara $1,844
Stephenville $2,248

A couple spends around $2,817 per month in Nosara vs $3,259 in Stephenville, rent included.

Nosara $2,817
Stephenville $3,259

A family of three spends $3,790 per month in Nosara vs $4,271 in Stephenville, rent included.

Nosara $3,790
Stephenville $4,271

Nosara is about 18% cheaper than Stephenville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Stephenville sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Stephenville by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,568

$18.15 CA$25.44

-31.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$65.4 CA$91.7

-7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$10.51 CA$14.74

-25.69%

Cappuccino

$4.37 ₡1,966

$3.68 CA$5.15

18.75%

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

$1.78 ₡800

$2.05 CA$2.88

-13.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡605

$1.62 CA$2.26

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$5.18 CA$7.27

-34.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,939

$5.73 CA$8.03

-24.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$2.54 CA$3.57

-38.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,425

$2.54 CA$3.56

24.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$3.37 CA$4.72

-25.52%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.42 CA$4.79

3.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 ₡3,313

$10.27 CA$14.40

-28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,703

$11.36 CA$15.93

-7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,255

$14.83 CA$20.79

-6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.88 CA$5.44

-41.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 CA$1.88

16.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,113

$3.56 CA$4.99

32.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$3.82 CA$5.35

-57.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,746

$2.44 CA$3.41

59.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,704

$2.27 CA$3.19

66.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡481

$4.36 CA$6.11

-75.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,174

$1.58 CA$2.21

65.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,319

$14.53 CA$20.36

-64.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,143

$11.14 CA$15.62

82.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$2.71 CA$3.80

7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,651

$3.17 CA$4.45

15.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

$2.27 CA$3.18

-42.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

$63.6 CA$89.1

15.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₡984

$2.89 CA$4.06

-24.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡829

$1.48 CA$2.08

24.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$23.74 CA$33.28

-67.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.17 CA$1.64

33.33%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$27.2K CA$38.1K

22.95%

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

$38.1K ₡17.1M

$21.4K CA$30.0K

77.97%

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

$95.9 ₡43.1K

$136 CA$190

-29.36%

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

$35.37 ₡15.9K

$38.96 CA$54.6

-9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 ₡24.1K

$54.2 CA$75.9

-0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.3K

$37.25 CA$52.2

81.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

$17.82 CA$24.98

98.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,473

$10.80 CA$15.14

-28.52%

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

$496 ₡222.8K

$643 CA$901

-22.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.4K CA$18.8K

-11.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$54.9 CA$76.9

-0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$38.47 CA$53.9

42.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ₡35.9K

$85.5 CA$120

-6.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$105 CA$147

-25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.5K

$1,286 CA$1,803

-36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

$1,115 CA$1,563

-28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,889 ₡1.7M

$2,036 CA$2,855

90.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡627.6K

$1,707 CA$2,393

-18.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

$4,445 CA$6,230

56.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡549.6K

$3,591 CA$5,033

-65.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.68

84.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Last update for Stephenville: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$800 43.4%

Stephenville

$1.1K 49.6% 39.4% $315

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$353 19.1%

Stephenville

$361 16.1% 2.5% $8.8

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Stephenville

$273 12.1% 28.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$185 10%

Stephenville

$229 10.2% 23.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Stephenville

$128 5.7% 6.2% $7.4

Getting Around

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Stephenville

$83 3.7% 7.7% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Stephenville

$59 2.6% 29% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,286 in Stephenville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $65 in Stephenville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $361 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Stephenville

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

02:52 2:52 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

6,600

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Stephenville 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Stephenville

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 Stephenville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,844 in Nosara, $2,248 in Stephenville – Nosara comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,765 per month in Nosara and $3,372 in Stephenville. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,286 in Stephenville.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $65 in Stephenville. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Stephenville. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,844 in Nosara and $2,248 in Stephenville, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.