Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Summerland

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,069 in Summerland, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Summerland
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Summerland Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Summerland

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Summerland

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,069 in Summerland, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Summerland $2,069

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,093 in Summerland, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Summerland $3,093

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,117 in Summerland, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Summerland $4,117

Nosara is about 11% cheaper than Summerland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Summerland sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Summerland by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.67 CA$15.09

15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$48.18 CA$68.1

26.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.16 CA$14.37

-25.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.38 CA$4.78

30.47%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.75 CA$2.48

-0.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.58 CA$2.23

-17.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.06 CA$8.57

-45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.52 CA$7.80

-19.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.83 CA$2.59

-14.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.15 CA$3.04

40.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.32 CA$6.11

-41.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.03 CA$4.28

17.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.19 CA$17.23

-39.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$18.07 CA$25.54

-41.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.37 CA$25.96

-23.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.60 CA$6.50

-48.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.10 CA$1.55

46.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.96 CA$7.02

-3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.61 CA$5.11

-55.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.57 CA$2.21

142.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.49 CA$3.52

48.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.52 CA$3.56

-55.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.87 CA$2.64

42.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$14.81 CA$20.94

-65.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.33 CA$14.61

92.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.06 CA$5.74

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.79 CA$5.35

-4.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.27 CA$3.21

-50.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$61.7 CA$87.2

17.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.41 CA$4.82

-37.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.42 CA$2.01

10.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$24.30 CA$34.35

-64.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.11 CA$1.57

36.94%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.8K CA$36.4K

-16.15%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.1K CA$25.7K

90.22%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$114 CA$161

-15.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$34.52 CA$48.80

3.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$55.9 CA$79.1

-4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.11 CA$56.7

78.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$18.31 CA$25.89

90.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.06 CA$9.98

11.76%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$358 CA$506

38.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,387 CA$11.9K

41.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.0 CA$73.5

3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.76 CA$59.0

32.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.1 CA$113

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.8 CA$138

-18.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,408 CA$1,991

-44.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$987 CA$1,395

-19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,960 CA$2,771

100.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,721 CA$2,432

-17.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,410 CA$6,235

56.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,753 CA$5,306

-67.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,430 CA$4,848

-74.82%

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 Summerland: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Summerland

$987 47.7% 24.2% $193

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Summerland

$409 19.8% 16.2% $57

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Summerland

$211 10.2% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Summerland

$204 9.9% 9.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Summerland

$122 5.9% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Summerland

$54 2.6% 37.9% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Summerland

$81 3.9% 6.7% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,408 in Summerland. 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 297% higher in Summerland, 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 Summerland. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $409 in Summerland – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇦 Summerland

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,000

💱 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 Summerland 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Summerland

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 Summerland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,069 in Summerland – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,104 in Summerland. 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 18% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $358 in Summerland. 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 Summerland at $2,069. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Summerland 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 $2,069 in Summerland. 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, Summerland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.