Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oakville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,636 in Oakville, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Oakville
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Oakville Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Oakville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,636

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oakville and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oakville and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,636 per month in Oakville vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Oakville $2,636
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,763 per month in Oakville vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Oakville $3,763
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,889 per month in Oakville vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Oakville $4,889
Nosara $3,818

Oakville costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 CA$20.06

$12.35 ₡5,539

14.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 CA$96.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

12.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 CA$12.53

$7.52 ₡3,373

17.82%

Cappuccino

$3.55 CA$5.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.50%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.74 ₡780

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.31 ₡587

18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 CA$8.14

$3.28 ₡1,471

75.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 CA$8.80

$4.47 ₡2,004

39.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.56 ₡701

67.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 CA$4.10

$3.02 ₡1,355

-3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$2.51 ₡1,125

37.85%

Eggs

$4.20 CA$5.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 CA$13.13

$7.43 ₡3,333

24.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 CA$14.58

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 CA$18.67

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$2.35 ₡1,052

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 CA$2.60

$1.61 ₡720

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

-27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.16

$1.61 ₡724

82.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.69 ₡1,657

-12.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$1.13 ₡507

91.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 CA$2.37

$2.66 ₡1,191

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.98 CA$19.77

$5.18 ₡2,321

169.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 CA$18.05

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 CA$4.47

$2.90 ₡1,300

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$3.63 ₡1,626

-31.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 CA$3.88

$1.12 ₡504

144.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.5 CA$135

$72.6 ₡32.6K

31.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.52 ₡682

-28.29%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.28%

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

$18.4K CA$26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.74%

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

$93.9 CA$133

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-2.46%

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

$29.18 CA$41.26

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-18.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.49 CA$67.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.76 CA$60.5

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 CA$12.66

$7.89 ₡3,539

13.43%

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

$1,027 CA$1,451

$494 ₡221.6K

107.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K CA$24.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

48.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 CA$95.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

24.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.1 CA$119

$55.4 ₡24.8K

51.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 CA$153

$77.9 ₡34.9K

38.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$79.6 ₡35.7K

34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,733 CA$2,450

$788 ₡353.4K

119.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,545 CA$2,184

$794 ₡356.2K

94.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 CA$3,642

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-34.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,361 CA$3,338

$1,419 ₡636.5K

66.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 CA$5,640

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-42.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,863 CA$9,702

$1,224 ₡549.0K

460.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,141 CA$4,440

$864 ₡387.3K

263.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.62

-37.47%

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

Last update for Oakville: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oakville

$1.5K 58.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 48.6% $750

Groceries & Markets

Oakville

$351 13.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.5% $1.6

Eating Out

Oakville

$238 9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 11.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oakville

$171 6.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Oakville

$165 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.2% $45

Getting Around

Oakville

$106 * 4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 18.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Oakville

$61 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,733 in Oakville versus $788 in Nosara. 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 264% higher in Oakville, 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 $69.0 in Oakville versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Oakville vs $352 in Nosara – so Oakville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oakville

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

2 h behind Oakville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,832

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oakville Nosara 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Oakville
Nosara

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

Oakville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,636 in Oakville, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,954 per month in Oakville and $2,758 in Nosara. 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 31% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,027 per month in Oakville and $494 in Nosara. 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 Oakville at $2,636. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oakville 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 $2,636 in Oakville. 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, Oakville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.