Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Jérôme and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Jérôme: $1,660 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Jérôme
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Saint-Jérôme Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint-Jérôme

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,660

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,660 per month in Saint-Jérôme vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Jérôme $1,660
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,634 per month in Saint-Jérôme vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Jérôme $2,634
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,608 per month in Saint-Jérôme vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Jérôme $3,608
Nosara $3,818

Saint-Jérôme is about 10% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint-Jérôme and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint-Jérôme by 23%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 CA$21.44

$12.35 ₡5,539

22.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 CA$98.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

13.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.89%

Cappuccino

$3.05 CA$4.31

$4.41 ₡1,978

-30.84%

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

$2.38 CA$3.36

$1.74 ₡780

36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$1.31 ₡587

52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.10

$3.28 ₡1,471

53.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.15

$4.47 ₡2,004

44.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$1.56 ₡701

103.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$3.02 ₡1,355

-15.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$2.51 ₡1,125

40.64%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.87

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.10 CA$8.62

$7.43 ₡3,333

-17.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.45 CA$21.84

$10.52 ₡4,717

46.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.54 CA$24.80

$13.97 ₡6,265

25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$2.35 ₡1,052

53.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$1.61 ₡720

54.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.51

$4.80 ₡2,152

-3.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 CA$5.92

$1.61 ₡724

160.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$3.80 ₡1,703

-24.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$3.69 ₡1,657

-31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CA$3.36

$1.13 ₡507

109.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$2.66 ₡1,191

41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 CA$14.69

$5.18 ₡2,321

100.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.55 CA$14.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-46.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.40

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.63 ₡1,626

-1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.30

$1.12 ₡504

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 CA$103

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-0.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$1.52 ₡682

-3.95%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$55.9 CA$79.0

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-41.94%

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

$33.45 CA$47.28

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-6.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.37 CA$59.9

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-20.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 CA$20.10

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-80.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.48 CA$11.99

$7.89 ₡3,539

7.48%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-1.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.54 CA$27.62

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$77.9 ₡34.9K

32.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 CA$97.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-13.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 CA$1,100

$788 ₡353.4K

-1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 CA$914

$794 ₡356.2K

-18.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 CA$1,978

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 CA$1,660

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-17.27%

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)

$2,628 CA$3,715

$864 ₡387.3K

204.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.00%

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

Last update for Saint-Jérôme: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Jérôme

$647 39%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 22.8% $148

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Jérôme

$411 24.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.2% $58

Eating Out

Saint-Jérôme

$245 14.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 13.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Jérôme

$132 7.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Jérôme

$110 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9% $10

Getting Around

Saint-Jérôme

$85 * 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 2.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Jérôme

$31 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 180% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $778 in Saint-Jérôme 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 204% higher in Saint-Jérôme, 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 $70.0 in Saint-Jérôme versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint-Jérôme

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

09:58 9:58 AM

2 h behind Saint-Jérôme

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,213

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

Saint-Jérôme Nosara 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Jérôme
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,660 in Saint-Jérôme, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,490 per month in Saint-Jérôme 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 Saint-Jérôme, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 0% less in Saint-Jérôme. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Jérôme, where all-in costs run around $1,660, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Saint-Jérôme 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 $1,660 in Saint-Jérôme 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 Saint-Jérôme. 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.