Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Parksville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Parksville: $1,106 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Parksville
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Parksville Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Parksville

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,106

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in Parksville vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Parksville $1,106
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,823 per month in Parksville vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Parksville $2,823
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,540 per month in Parksville vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Parksville $4,540
Nosara $3,818

Parksville is about 40% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Parksville sits 18% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 CA$24.55

$12.35 ₡5,550

39.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 CA$80.3

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-7.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.83

$7.52 ₡3,379

38.70%

Cappuccino

$3.34 CA$4.75

$4.41 ₡1,982

-24.26%

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

$2.03 CA$2.89

$1.74 ₡781

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.33

$1.31 ₡588

25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 CA$7.29

$3.28 ₡1,474

56.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 CA$8.05

$4.47 ₡2,008

26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 CA$3.24

$1.56 ₡702

46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 CA$2.97

$3.02 ₡1,358

-30.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$2.51 ₡1,127

14.74%

Eggs

$3.28 CA$4.67

$3.57 ₡1,606

-8.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 CA$13.87

$7.43 ₡3,340

31.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 CA$14.42

$10.52 ₡4,727

-3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.58 CA$27.82

$13.97 ₡6,277

40.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.45

$2.35 ₡1,054

33.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.87

$1.61 ₡721

-18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.06

$4.80 ₡2,156

-40.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.29

$1.61 ₡725

87.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.68

$3.80 ₡1,706

-31.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 CA$2.86

$3.69 ₡1,660

-45.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$1.13 ₡508

81.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.54

$2.66 ₡1,193

-33.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.13 CA$20.09

$5.18 ₡2,326

172.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.14 CA$20.09

$19.88 ₡8,934

-28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.50

$2.90 ₡1,303

-15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CA$4.33

$3.63 ₡1,629

-15.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 CA$3.39

$1.12 ₡505

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 CA$3.72

$2.14 ₡960

22.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.57 ₡705

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.09 CA$21.45

$8.52 ₡3,830

77.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.52 ₡683

-17.11%

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

$26.4K CA$37.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

22.12%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.47%

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

$183 CA$261

$96.3 ₡43.3K

90.42%

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

$36.28 CA$51.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

1.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 CA$90.7

$53.6 ₡24.1K

19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 CA$81.9

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.57 CA$24.98

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.67%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 CA$17.71

$7.89 ₡3,546

57.92%

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

$850 CA$1,208

$494 ₡222.0K

71.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K CA$17.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

0.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.85 CA$68.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-11.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 CA$84.5

$55.4 ₡24.9K

7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.0 CA$81.0

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-26.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 CA$124

$79.6 ₡35.8K

9.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 CA$1,850

$788 ₡354.1K

65.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 CA$3,225

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-42.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 CA$3,040

$1,419 ₡637.7K

50.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,830 CA$2,602

$1,224 ₡550.0K

49.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,833 CA$4,026

$864 ₡388.0K

228.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

8.62

-43.50%

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

Last update for Parksville: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Parksville

$345 31.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Parksville

$283 25.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 34.5% $98

Eating Out

Parksville

$261 23.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Parksville

$113 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.1% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Parksville

$83 7.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Parksville

$20 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 335% $67

Accommodation & Living

Parksville

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Parksville 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 228% higher in Parksville, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Parksville versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $352 – making Parksville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Parksville

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h ahead of Parksville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,642

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Parksville Nosara 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Parksville
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

Parksville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,106 in Parksville, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,658 per month in Parksville 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 Parksville, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Parksville and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Parksville, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Parksville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,106 in Parksville to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Parksville. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.