Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prince Rupert, BC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,967 in Prince Rupert, BC, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Prince Rupert, BC
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Prince Rupert, BC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Prince Rupert, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,967

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,967 per month in Prince Rupert, BC vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Prince Rupert, BC $1,967
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,109 per month in Prince Rupert, BC vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Prince Rupert, BC $3,109
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,251 per month in Prince Rupert, BC vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Prince Rupert, BC $4,251
Nosara $3,818

Prince Rupert, BC costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Prince Rupert, BC and Nosara sit above the global median – Prince Rupert, BC by 46%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 CA$24.71

$12.35 ₡5,539

41.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 CA$93.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

7.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.89%

Cappuccino

$3.63 CA$5.13

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.69%

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

$2.02 CA$2.86

$1.74 ₡780

16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.31 ₡587

17.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 CA$7.63

$3.28 ₡1,471

64.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.88

$4.47 ₡2,004

24.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$1.56 ₡701

21.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 CA$3.47

$3.02 ₡1,355

-18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.51 ₡1,125

27.09%

Eggs

$4.97 CA$7.03

$3.57 ₡1,603

39.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 CA$13.61

$7.43 ₡3,333

29.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.32 CA$17.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

17.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 CA$21.04

$13.97 ₡6,265

6.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$2.35 ₡1,052

-26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CA$1.45

$1.61 ₡720

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.86

$4.80 ₡2,152

-13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$1.61 ₡724

136.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$3.80 ₡1,703

-36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$3.69 ₡1,657

-38.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CA$3.27

$1.13 ₡507

105.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$2.66 ₡1,191

-34.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.86 CA$19.59

$5.18 ₡2,321

167.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.29 CA$20.20

$19.88 ₡8,916

-28.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.90 ₡1,300

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$1.12 ₡504

105.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 CA$92.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-9.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 CA$4.01

$2.14 ₡958

32.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.57 ₡703

4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.25 CA$35.69

$8.52 ₡3,823

196.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$30.3K CA$42.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

40.06%

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

$18.3K CA$25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.99%

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

$150 CA$213

$96.3 ₡43.2K

56.15%

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

$39.36 CA$55.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

9.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.50 CA$68.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.18 CA$54.0

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-46.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.30 CA$24.45

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.85

$7.89 ₡3,539

42.08%

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

$646 CA$913

$494 ₡221.6K

30.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K CA$19.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

13.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 CA$58.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 CA$118

$77.9 ₡34.9K

7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 CA$133

$79.6 ₡35.7K

18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 CA$1,491

$788 ₡353.4K

33.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 CA$1,188

$794 ₡356.2K

5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 CA$2,731

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-50.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 CA$2,423

$1,419 ₡636.5K

20.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,875 CA$5,478

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-43.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,474 CA$4,912

$1,224 ₡549.0K

183.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 CA$4,463

$864 ₡387.3K

265.56%

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 Prince Rupert, BC: 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 Rupert, BC

$841 42.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 5.5% $46

Groceries & Markets

Prince Rupert, BC

$351 17.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Prince Rupert, BC

$267 13.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Prince Rupert, BC

$238 12.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 22% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Prince Rupert, BC

$123 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.2% $2.7

Getting Around

Prince Rupert, BC

$86 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1.6% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Prince Rupert, BC

$61 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,054 in Prince Rupert, BC 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 Prince Rupert, BC, 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 $66.0 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Prince Rupert, BC vs $352 in Nosara – so Prince Rupert, BC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Prince Rupert, BC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

1 h ahead of Prince Rupert, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,220

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 Rupert, BC Nosara 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Prince Rupert, BC
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 Rupert, BC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,967 in Prince Rupert, BC, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,950 per month in Prince Rupert, BC 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 11% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $646 per month in Prince Rupert, BC 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 Rupert, BC at $1,967. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Prince Rupert, BC 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 $1,967 in Prince Rupert, BC. 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 Rupert, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.