Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hardy and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Hardy: $1,698 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Port Hardy
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Port Hardy Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Port Hardy

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,698

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,698 per month in Port Hardy vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Hardy $1,698
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,767 per month in Port Hardy vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Hardy $2,767
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,835 per month in Port Hardy vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Hardy $3,835
Nosara $3,818

Port Hardy is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Port Hardy and Nosara sit above the global median – Port Hardy by 26%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 CA$24.70

$12.35 ₡5,539

41.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 CA$93.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

8.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$7.52 ₡3,373

41.36%

Cappuccino

$3.80 CA$5.37

$4.41 ₡1,978

-13.83%

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

$1.95 CA$2.75

$1.74 ₡780

12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.31 ₡587

25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 CA$6.73

$3.28 ₡1,471

45.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CA$6.95

$4.47 ₡2,004

9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.44

$1.56 ₡701

10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$3.02 ₡1,355

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.51 ₡1,125

27.09%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.91

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.66

$7.43 ₡3,333

30.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.06

$10.52 ₡4,717

7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 CA$20.38

$13.97 ₡6,265

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.61 ₡720

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.16

$4.80 ₡2,152

-23.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.14

$1.61 ₡724

126.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-42.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.13 ₡507

114.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.57 CA$20.60

$5.18 ₡2,321

181.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 CA$17.18

$19.88 ₡8,916

-38.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.56

$2.90 ₡1,300

-13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CA$4.20

$3.63 ₡1,626

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$1.12 ₡504

123.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-27.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.14 ₡958

23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.57 ₡703

3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.30 CA$35.76

$8.52 ₡3,823

196.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.52 ₡682

-25.66%

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

$24.0K CA$33.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

11.08%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.53%

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

$83.5 CA$118

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-13.31%

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

$55.0 CA$77.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

53.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 CA$101

$53.6 ₡24.0K

33.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 CA$57.1

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 CA$26.75

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-45.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 CA$15.23

$7.89 ₡3,539

36.63%

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

$773 CA$1,093

$494 ₡221.6K

56.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K CA$20.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

23.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 CA$78.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.59 CA$58.8

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 CA$116

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 CA$127

$79.6 ₡35.7K

12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 CA$890

$788 ₡353.4K

-20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 CA$885

$794 ₡356.2K

-21.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 CA$1,930

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 CA$1,922

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-4.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,049 CA$5,724

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-41.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,758 CA$5,313

$1,224 ₡549.0K

207.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,158 CA$4,465

$864 ₡387.3K

265.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

8.62

-45.94%

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

Last update for Port Hardy: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Hardy

$626 36.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 26.9% $168

Groceries & Markets

Port Hardy

$340 20%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Port Hardy

$265 15.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hardy

$210 12.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hardy

$121 7.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.7% $0.8

Getting Around

Port Hardy

$74 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 18.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hardy

$62 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $630 in Port Hardy 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 266% higher in Port Hardy, 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 $66.0 in Port Hardy versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Port Hardy vs $352 in Nosara – so Port Hardy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Port Hardy

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Port Hardy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,100

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

Port Hardy Nosara 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Hardy
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

Port Hardy vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,698 in Port Hardy, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,547 per month in Port Hardy 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 Port Hardy, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Port Hardy. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $773 per month in Port Hardy 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 Port Hardy, where all-in costs run around $1,698, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Port Hardy 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 $1,698 in Port Hardy 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 Port Hardy. 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.