Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Andrews and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,255 in Saint Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrews
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Saint Andrews Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint Andrews

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,255 per month in Saint Andrews vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Andrews $2,255
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,245 per month in Saint Andrews vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Andrews $3,245
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,234 per month in Saint Andrews vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Andrews $4,234
Nosara $3,712

Saint Andrews costs about 23% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Andrews and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint Andrews by 68%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 CA$25.30

$12.22 ₡5,509

45.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.8 CA$91.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

6.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$15.10

$7.54 ₡3,399

40.45%

Cappuccino

$3.72 CA$5.30

$4.31 ₡1,941

-13.69%

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

$1.99 CA$2.83

$1.72 ₡773

15.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.25

$1.35 ₡608

17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 CA$7.38

$3.24 ₡1,459

59.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 CA$8.22

$4.48 ₡2,018

28.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 CA$2.91

$1.57 ₡707

29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 CA$3.51

$3.17 ₡1,429

-22.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.79

$2.42 ₡1,091

38.84%

Eggs

$3.47 CA$4.94

$3.57 ₡1,609

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 CA$13.86

$7.43 ₡3,349

30.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 CA$15.85

$10.42 ₡4,697

6.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 CA$20.98

$13.66 ₡6,156

7.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.22

$2.32 ₡1,044

57.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.61 ₡728

-15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.28

$4.74 ₡2,138

-21.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.31

$1.66 ₡747

124.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.70

$3.72 ₡1,679

-30.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 CA$3.21

$3.57 ₡1,611

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$1.10 ₡497

130.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$2.55 ₡1,149

-38.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 CA$19.90

$4.95 ₡2,232

182.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 CA$17.70

$20.01 ₡9,020

-37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.79 ₡1,256

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CA$4.46

$3.53 ₡1,589

-11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.19 ₡537

94.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 CA$90.0

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-12.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.24 ₡1,011

25.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.12

$1.55 ₡701

-3.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.25 CA$33.14

$8.86 ₡3,993

162.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 CA$1.59

$1.57 ₡708

-29.30%

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

$28.2K CA$40.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

29.16%

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

$18.9K CA$26.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-45.41%

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

$138 CA$197

$93.5 ₡42.1K

47.68%

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

$38.11 CA$54.3

$35.11 ₡15.8K

8.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CA$78.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

6.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.69 CA$58.0

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-43.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-48.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 CA$15.61

$7.84 ₡3,535

39.67%

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

$724 CA$1,033

$490 ₡220.7K

47.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K CA$18.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

11.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$77.2

$53.5 ₡24.1K

1.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.35 CA$53.2

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-33.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 CA$120

$79.3 ₡35.7K

6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 CA$142

$78.9 ₡35.6K

26.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 CA$1,766

$786 ₡354.3K

57.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 CA$1,640

$780 ₡351.6K

47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 CA$2,829

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-48.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 CA$2,392

$1,407 ₡634.4K

19.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,169 CA$5,942

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-40.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,576 CA$5,097

$1,201 ₡541.3K

197.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

8.62

-46.17%

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

Last update for Saint Andrews: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Andrews

$1.2K 50.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 32.2% $371

Groceries & Markets

Saint Andrews

$347 15.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0.7% $2.4

Eating Out

Saint Andrews

$270 11.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 22.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Andrews

$231 10.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 22.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Andrews

$124 5.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3.1% $3.8

Getting Around

Saint Andrews

$83 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.2% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Andrews

$63 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 39.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,239 in Saint Andrews versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Saint Andrews versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $347 in Saint Andrews vs $350 in Nosara – so Saint Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint Andrews

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

3 h behind Saint Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saint Andrews Nosara 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Andrews
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint Andrews vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,255 in Saint Andrews, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,383 per month in Saint Andrews and $2,756 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 14% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $724 per month in Saint Andrews and $490 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 $1,837, than in Saint Andrews at $2,255. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Andrews 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,255 in Saint Andrews. 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, Saint Andrews makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.