Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,331 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,331

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oshawa 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 Oshawa and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,331 per month in Oshawa vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Oshawa $2,331
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,293 per month in Oshawa vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Oshawa $3,293
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,255 per month in Oshawa vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Oshawa $4,255
Nosara $3,712

Oshawa costs about 27% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Oshawa and Nosara sit above the global median – Oshawa by 74%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 CA$19.81

$12.22 ₡5,509

13.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 CA$86.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 CA$11.98

$7.54 ₡3,399

11.54%

Cappuccino

$3.36 CA$4.79

$4.31 ₡1,941

-22.04%

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

$1.74 CA$2.49

$1.72 ₡773

1.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 CA$1.99

$1.35 ₡608

2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 CA$6.89

$3.24 ₡1,459

49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 CA$8.31

$4.48 ₡2,018

30.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$1.57 ₡707

83.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 CA$4.07

$3.17 ₡1,429

-9.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$2.42 ₡1,091

67.36%

Eggs

$2.93 CA$4.18

$3.57 ₡1,609

-17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 CA$13.67

$7.43 ₡3,349

29.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 CA$19.84

$10.42 ₡4,697

33.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 CA$23.28

$13.66 ₡6,156

19.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 CA$6.14

$2.32 ₡1,044

85.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.61 ₡728

-24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 CA$3.98

$4.74 ₡2,138

-41.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.33

$1.66 ₡747

125.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.75

$3.72 ₡1,679

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 CA$3.70

$3.57 ₡1,611

-27.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$1.10 ₡497

102.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.45

$2.55 ₡1,149

-32.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.14 CA$20.15

$4.95 ₡2,232

185.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.27 CA$17.49

$20.01 ₡9,020

-38.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 CA$5.05

$2.79 ₡1,256

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 CA$5.07

$3.53 ₡1,589

0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.53

$1.19 ₡537

108.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 CA$99.4

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-3.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 CA$5.07

$2.24 ₡1,011

58.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 CA$0.96

$1.55 ₡701

-56.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.25 CA$24.59

$8.86 ₡3,993

94.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.55

$1.57 ₡708

-30.57%

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

$28.2K CA$40.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

29.48%

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

$19.7K CA$28.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-43.16%

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

$137 CA$196

$93.5 ₡42.1K

46.83%

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

$37.26 CA$53.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

6.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 CA$73.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

0.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.53 CA$40.66

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-60.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.76 CA$41.00

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-18.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 CA$14.87

$7.84 ₡3,535

33.04%

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

$1,199 CA$1,709

$490 ₡220.7K

145.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 CA$79.1

$53.5 ₡24.1K

3.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 CA$78.6

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-1.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 CA$146

$79.3 ₡35.7K

28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 CA$182

$78.9 ₡35.6K

62.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 CA$1,959

$786 ₡354.3K

74.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 CA$1,682

$780 ₡351.6K

51.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 CA$2,772

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,558

$1,407 ₡634.4K

27.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,188 CA$7,394

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-25.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K CA$14.5K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

748.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,881 CA$4,107

$876 ₡395.0K

228.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

8.62

-47.45%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oshawa

$1.2K 51.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 33.9% $400

Groceries & Markets

Oshawa

$386 16.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oshawa

$226 9.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 20.4% $46

Eating Out

Oshawa

$225 9.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 6.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Oshawa

$153 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 21.5% $33

Getting Around

Oshawa

$87 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Oshawa

$49 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 76.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,375 in Oshawa versus $786 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 229% higher in Oshawa, 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 Oshawa versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

2 h behind Oshawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,458

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oshawa Nosara 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Oshawa
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

Oshawa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,331 in Oshawa, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,496 per month in Oshawa and $2,756 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 3% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,199 per month in Oshawa and $490 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 $1,837, than in Oshawa at $2,331. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oshawa 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,331 in Oshawa. 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, Oshawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.