Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Owen Sound and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,036 in Owen Sound, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,036

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,036 per month in Owen Sound vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Owen Sound $2,036
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,109 per month in Owen Sound vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Owen Sound $3,109
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,181 per month in Owen Sound vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Owen Sound $4,181
Nosara $3,818

Owen Sound costs about 11% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Owen Sound and Nosara sit above the global median – Owen Sound by 51%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.16 CA$20.01

$12.35 ₡5,539

14.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 CA$67.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-21.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 CA$12.68

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.28%

Cappuccino

$3.39 CA$4.80

$4.41 ₡1,978

-23.13%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.74 ₡780

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.26

$1.31 ₡587

22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 CA$5.79

$3.28 ₡1,471

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$8.02

$4.47 ₡2,004

26.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.56 ₡701

53.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.02 ₡1,355

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$2.51 ₡1,125

32.67%

Eggs

$4.29 CA$6.07

$3.57 ₡1,603

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.03

$7.43 ₡3,333

24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 CA$22.31

$10.52 ₡4,717

50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.44 CA$33.13

$13.97 ₡6,265

67.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.94 CA$9.81

$2.35 ₡1,052

195.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.61 ₡720

13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.90

$4.80 ₡2,152

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.11

$1.61 ₡724

80.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.80 ₡1,703

-35.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.45

$3.69 ₡1,657

-14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$1.13 ₡507

95.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$2.66 ₡1,191

-53.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.23 CA$18.70

$5.18 ₡2,321

155.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 CA$22.49

$19.88 ₡8,916

-19.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.33 CA$6.12

$2.90 ₡1,300

49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 CA$6.81

$3.63 ₡1,626

32.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$1.12 ₡504

83.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 CA$85.4

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-16.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.63 CA$6.54

$2.14 ₡958

116.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.97 CA$35.30

$8.52 ₡3,823

193.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.52 ₡682

-25.66%

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

$26.9K CA$38.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

24.58%

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

$18.3K CA$25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.92%

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

$96.9 CA$137

$96.3 ₡43.2K

0.63%

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

$29.25 CA$41.35

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 CA$68.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-9.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$113 CA$160

$71.6 ₡32.1K

57.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.78 CA$57.7

$34.91 ₡15.7K

16.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 CA$10.71

$7.89 ₡3,539

-4.06%

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

$466 CA$658

$494 ₡221.6K

-5.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,989 CA$9,880

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-41.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.58 CA$48.88

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-35.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.86 CA$37.97

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-51.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 CA$122

$77.9 ₡34.9K

10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 CA$1,888

$788 ₡353.4K

69.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 CA$1,251

$794 ₡356.2K

11.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 CA$3,055

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 CA$2,229

$1,419 ₡636.5K

11.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,951 CA$4,171

$864 ₡387.3K

241.70%

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 Owen Sound: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Owen Sound

$885 43.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 10.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Owen Sound

$434 21.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 18.8% $82

Eating Out

Owen Sound

$227 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Owen Sound

$175 8.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 6.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Owen Sound

$128 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 31.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Owen Sound

$114 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 5.6% $6.4

Getting Around

Owen Sound

$73 * 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 18.9% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,336 in Owen Sound 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 242% higher in Owen Sound, 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 $48.00 in Owen Sound versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $434 in Owen Sound vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

2 h behind Owen Sound

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,341

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

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Highest

Between locations

Owen Sound Nosara 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Owen Sound
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

Owen Sound vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,036 in Owen Sound, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,054 per month in Owen Sound 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 20% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $466 per month in Owen Sound 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 Owen Sound at $2,036. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Owen Sound 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 $2,036 in Owen Sound. 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, Owen Sound makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.