Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sault Ste. Marie and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie, 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 Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Sault Ste. Marie vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Sault Ste. Marie $2,059
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,008 per month in Sault Ste. Marie vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,008
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,956 per month in Sault Ste. Marie vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,956
Nosara $3,814

Sault Ste. Marie costs about 12% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sault Ste. Marie and Nosara sit above the global median – Sault Ste. Marie by 52%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 CA$24.28

$12.34 ₡5,535

39.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$99.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

15.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 CA$14.46

$7.76 ₡3,481

31.83%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.90

$4.44 ₡1,992

-21.85%

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

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.79 ₡803

-8.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.29 ₡580

4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 CA$6.62

$3.24 ₡1,451

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$4.43 ₡1,985

12.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.55 ₡696

56.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$3.08 ₡1,380

-30.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.63

$2.53 ₡1,133

29.25%

Eggs

$2.98 CA$4.22

$3.45 ₡1,546

-13.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 CA$11.76

$7.32 ₡3,284

13.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 CA$14.10

$10.24 ₡4,594

-2.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 CA$14.86

$14.10 ₡6,326

-25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.29 ₡1,027

37.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.40

$1.64 ₡737

-39.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$4.79 ₡2,149

-36.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.01

$1.64 ₡735

115.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.79

$3.85 ₡1,727

-48.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$3.75 ₡1,681

-54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$1.09 ₡488

154.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$2.59 ₡1,160

-50.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.75 CA$22.26

$5.12 ₡2,295

207.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 CA$15.08

$19.92 ₡8,931

-46.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.60

$2.80 ₡1,255

-34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$3.52 ₡1,580

-35.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$1.22 ₡549

83.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 CA$81.2

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-22.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.17 ₡973

59.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$1.56 ₡698

48.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.97 CA$32.47

$8.67 ₡3,886

164.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$1.55 ₡697

-30.32%

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

$26.5K CA$37.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.32%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-47.70%

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

$174 CA$246

$94.8 ₡42.5K

83.76%

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

$44.36 CA$62.7

$36.15 ₡16.2K

22.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 CA$108

$53.1 ₡23.8K

44.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 CA$71.0

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-31.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.90

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-50.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 CA$15.80

$7.91 ₡3,548

41.34%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,984 CA$7,046

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-58.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.63 CA$64.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-16.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 CA$50.3

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-36.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 CA$106

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-6.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CA$170

$77.9 ₡34.9K

54.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$801 ₡359.1K

11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 CA$1,316

$790 ₡354.1K

17.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 CA$1,873

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-66.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 CA$2,057

$1,409 ₡632.0K

3.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 CA$2,640

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-73.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,432 CA$7,679

$1,236 ₡554.3K

339.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,310

$887 ₡397.6K

243.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

8.62

-35.85%

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

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 15.2% $142

Groceries & Markets

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 16.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 37.7% $111

Eating Out

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 16.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 23.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $893 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $801 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 244% higher in Sault Ste. Marie, 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 $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Sault Ste. Marie vs $350 in Nosara – so Sault Ste. Marie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h behind Sault Ste. Marie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,368

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 21, 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 21, 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

Sault Ste. Marie Nosara 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sault Ste. Marie
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

Sault Ste. Marie vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Sault Ste. Marie and $2,753 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 29% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Sault Ste. Marie at $2,059. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sault Ste. Marie 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie. 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, Sault Ste. Marie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.