Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
Learn more

Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
Nosara $3,818

Saint John, New Brunswick costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 CA$25.89

$12.35 ₡5,539

48.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 CA$83.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.70%

Cappuccino

$3.00 CA$4.25

$4.41 ₡1,978

-31.97%

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

$1.69 CA$2.39

$1.74 ₡780

-2.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.31 ₡587

-19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 CA$6.26

$3.28 ₡1,471

35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CA$7.08

$4.47 ₡2,004

12.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$1.56 ₡701

39.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.77

$3.02 ₡1,355

-11.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

24.30%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 CA$18.61

$7.43 ₡3,333

77.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 CA$16.56

$10.52 ₡4,717

11.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$18.06

$13.97 ₡6,265

-8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CA$6.77

$2.35 ₡1,052

103.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.61 ₡720

-8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.91

$4.80 ₡2,152

-12.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.51

$1.61 ₡724

142.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$1.13 ₡507

118.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$2.66 ₡1,191

-46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.67

$5.18 ₡2,321

168.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 CA$13.99

$19.88 ₡8,916

-50.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$3.63 ₡1,626

-41.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.92

$1.12 ₡504

83.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 CA$79.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-22.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$2.14 ₡958

36.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.57 ₡703

-32.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 CA$24.52

$8.52 ₡3,823

103.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.52 ₡682

-17.76%

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

$24.3K CA$34.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

12.60%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-45.54%

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

$120 CA$169

$96.3 ₡43.2K

24.10%

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

$41.55 CA$58.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

15.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

20.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 CA$49.52

$34.91 ₡15.7K

0.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$18.07

$7.89 ₡3,539

61.98%

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

$378 CA$534

$494 ₡221.6K

-23.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CA$15.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 CA$68.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-10.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 CA$49.71

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$79.6 ₡35.7K

33.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CA$1,400

$788 ₡353.4K

25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,158

$794 ₡356.2K

3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 CA$2,277

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-59.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 CA$1,843

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-8.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,018 CA$2,854

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 CA$2,959

$1,224 ₡549.0K

71.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 CA$3,396

$864 ₡387.3K

178.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

8.62

-45.59%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: 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

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.6% $2

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.2% $9.5

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 20.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 178% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $352 – making Saint John, New Brunswick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

3 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint John, New Brunswick Nosara 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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 John, New Brunswick vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,901 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 30% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $378 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Saint John, New Brunswick at $1,934. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 John, New Brunswick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.