Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pickering, ON and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,540 in Pickering, ON, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Pickering, ON
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Pickering, ON Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Pickering, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,540

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,540 per month in Pickering, ON vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Pickering, ON $2,540
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,563 per month in Pickering, ON vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Pickering, ON $3,563
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,586 per month in Pickering, ON vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Pickering, ON $4,586
Nosara $3,818

Pickering, ON costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pickering, ON and Nosara sit above the global median – Pickering, ON by 88%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 CA$19.51

$12.35 ₡5,539

11.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 CA$80.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-7.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 CA$14.76

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.83%

Cappuccino

$2.03 CA$2.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.97%

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

$1.59 CA$2.24

$1.74 ₡780

-8.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$1.31 ₡587

18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 CA$6.46

$3.28 ₡1,471

39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 CA$6.61

$4.47 ₡2,004

4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$1.56 ₡701

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$3.02 ₡1,355

-28.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 CA$6.14

$2.51 ₡1,125

73.31%

Eggs

$3.57 CA$5.05

$3.57 ₡1,603

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CA$13.23

$7.43 ₡3,333

25.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.90

$10.52 ₡4,717

6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$13.97 ₡6,265

-1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$2.35 ₡1,052

30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 CA$0.75

$1.61 ₡720

-67.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$1.61 ₡724

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$3.80 ₡1,703

-45.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.69 ₡1,657

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$1.13 ₡507

131.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$2.66 ₡1,191

-53.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.32 CA$18.83

$5.18 ₡2,321

157.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 CA$3.24

$3.63 ₡1,626

-36.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 CA$3.89

$1.12 ₡504

145.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$162 CA$228

$72.6 ₡32.6K

122.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 CA$3.87

$2.14 ₡958

27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 CA$3.10

$1.57 ₡703

39.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.56 CA$30.49

$8.52 ₡3,823

153.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$1.52 ₡682

-28.95%

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

$24.6K CA$34.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

14.01%

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

$19.7K CA$27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.89%

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

$102 CA$144

$96.3 ₡43.2K

5.88%

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

$32.94 CA$46.56

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.68 CA$68.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-9.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 CA$82.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.42 CA$35.94

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-27.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 CA$15.71

$7.89 ₡3,539

40.81%

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

$503 CA$711

$494 ₡221.6K

1.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

132.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 CA$102

$53.9 ₡24.2K

33.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 CA$74.0

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 CA$114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 CA$111

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 CA$2,324

$788 ₡353.4K

108.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$794 ₡356.2K

80.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,476 CA$3,500

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-37.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 CA$2,961

$1,419 ₡636.5K

47.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 CA$5,942

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-39.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,896 CA$5,508

$1,224 ₡549.0K

218.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,911 CA$4,116

$864 ₡387.3K

237.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

8.62

-51.04%

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

Last update for Pickering, ON: 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

Pickering, ON

$1.4K 56.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.7% $642

Groceries & Markets

Pickering, ON

$315 12.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.9% $37

Eating Out

Pickering, ON

$211 8.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 0.4% $0.9

Getting Around

Pickering, ON

$186 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 53.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pickering, ON

$184 7.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Pickering, ON

$127 5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 5.8% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Pickering, ON

$81 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,644 in Pickering, ON 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 237% higher in Pickering, ON, 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 $57.0 in Pickering, ON versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $352 – making Pickering, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Pickering, ON

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

2 h behind Pickering, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,771

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

Pickering, ON Nosara 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Pickering, ON
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

Pickering, ON vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,540 in Pickering, ON, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,811 per month in Pickering, ON 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 122% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $503 per month in Pickering, ON 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 Pickering, ON at $2,540. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pickering, ON 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 $2,540 in Pickering, ON. 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, Pickering, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.