Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prince George and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,068 in Prince George, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Prince George
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Prince George Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Prince George

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,068

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,068 per month in Prince George vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Prince George $2,068
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,230 per month in Prince George vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Prince George $3,230
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,391 per month in Prince George vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Prince George $4,391
Nosara $3,818

Prince George costs about 12% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Prince George and Nosara sit above the global median – Prince George by 53%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.31

$12.35 ₡5,539

39.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 CA$99.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

14.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.38 CA$11.85

$7.52 ₡3,373

11.44%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.39

$4.41 ₡1,978

-13.61%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.74 ₡780

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.30

$1.31 ₡587

78.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 CA$7.86

$3.28 ₡1,471

69.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.17

$4.47 ₡2,004

60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 CA$2.63

$1.56 ₡701

19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 CA$3.51

$3.02 ₡1,355

-17.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 CA$6.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

79.28%

Eggs

$4.10 CA$5.80

$3.57 ₡1,603

14.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 CA$8.87

$7.43 ₡3,333

-15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.90 CA$19.66

$10.52 ₡4,717

32.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 CA$19.51

$13.97 ₡6,265

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.69

$2.35 ₡1,052

71.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$1.61 ₡720

72.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$4.80 ₡2,152

8.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.32

$1.61 ₡724

133.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 CA$4.01

$3.80 ₡1,703

-25.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$3.69 ₡1,657

-38.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$1.13 ₡507

161.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.93

$2.66 ₡1,191

-22.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.79 CA$20.91

$5.18 ₡2,321

185.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 CA$14.68

$19.88 ₡8,916

-47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.34 CA$7.55

$2.90 ₡1,300

84.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$1.12 ₡504

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.79 CA$59.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$2.14 ₡958

37.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 CA$2.40

$1.57 ₡703

8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.29 CA$45.65

$8.52 ₡3,823

278.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$28.1K CA$39.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.10%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.55%

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

$171 CA$242

$96.3 ₡43.2K

77.96%

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

$40.80 CA$57.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

13.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 CA$85.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

13.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.40 CA$59.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.48 CA$24.71

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.93 CA$12.63

$7.89 ₡3,539

13.18%

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

$406 CA$574

$494 ₡221.6K

-17.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 CA$84.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

11.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 CA$53.8

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$131

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 CA$211

$79.6 ₡35.7K

87.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 CA$1,359

$788 ₡353.4K

21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 CA$1,233

$794 ₡356.2K

9.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 CA$2,573

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-53.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 CA$2,430

$1,419 ₡636.5K

21.13%

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)

$3,044 CA$4,303

$864 ₡387.3K

252.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

8.62

-42.46%

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

Last update for Prince George: 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

Prince George

$872 42.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 8.9% $78

Groceries & Markets

Prince George

$381 * 18.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Prince George

$273 13.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.9% $87

Eating Out

Prince George

$268 13%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Prince George

$153 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.5% $33

Getting Around

Prince George

$60 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 44.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Prince George

$60 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $961 in Prince George 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 253% higher in Prince George, 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 $70.0 in Prince George versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Prince George

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

14:26 2:26 PM

1 h ahead of Prince George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,974

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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Between locations

Prince George Nosara 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Prince George
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

Prince George vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,068 in Prince George, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,102 per month in Prince George 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 74% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $406 per month in Prince George 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 Prince George at $2,068. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Prince George 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 $2,068 in Prince George. 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, Prince George makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.