Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Scarborough vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Scarborough $2,466
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,385 per month in Scarborough vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Scarborough $3,385
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,304 per month in Scarborough vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Scarborough $4,304
Nosara $3,818

Scarborough costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scarborough and Nosara sit above the global median – Scarborough by 83%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 CA$23.31

$12.35 ₡5,539

33.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

12.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.93

$7.52 ₡3,373

40.43%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$4.41 ₡1,978

-12.24%

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

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.74 ₡780

18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.31 ₡587

4.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.28 ₡1,471

90.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

58.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$1.56 ₡701

60.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.02 ₡1,355

-11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.51 ₡1,125

-15.14%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.63

$7.43 ₡3,333

20.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$10.52 ₡4,717

4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 CA$17.77

$13.97 ₡6,265

-10.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$2.35 ₡1,052

37.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.61 ₡720

-24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$4.80 ₡2,152

-29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$1.61 ₡724

148.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$3.69 ₡1,657

-57.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$1.13 ₡507

101.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

-55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.74 CA$19.43

$5.18 ₡2,321

165.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$2.90 ₡1,300

-27.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$3.63 ₡1,626

-30.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$1.12 ₡504

109.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CA$146

$72.6 ₡32.6K

42.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$2.14 ₡958

37.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.57 ₡703

-19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$8.52 ₡3,823

150.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.52 ₡682

-20.39%

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

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

27.05%

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

$19.9K CA$28.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.44%

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

$141 CA$199

$96.3 ₡43.2K

45.98%

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

$34.98 CA$49.45

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-2.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$67.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-10.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 CA$50.1

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-50.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.38 CA$50.0

$34.91 ₡15.7K

1.35%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 CA$17.60

$7.89 ₡3,539

57.79%

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

$808 CA$1,142

$494 ₡221.6K

63.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-12.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-4.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$55.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 CA$119

$77.9 ₡34.9K

8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$79.6 ₡35.7K

29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 CA$2,396

$788 ₡353.4K

115.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,898

$794 ₡356.2K

68.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 CA$3,011

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-45.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 CA$2,454

$1,419 ₡636.5K

22.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,564 CA$10.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

9.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,121 CA$8,653

$1,224 ₡549.0K

400.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,908 CA$4,111

$864 ₡387.3K

236.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

8.62

-47.22%

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

Last update for Scarborough: 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

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.8% $548

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$323 13.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9% $29

Eating Out

Scarborough

$269 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 9.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 16.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$125 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 4% $5.1

Getting Around

Scarborough

$122 5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 28.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Scarborough 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 237% higher in Scarborough, 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 $69.0 in Scarborough versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Scarborough vs $352 in Nosara – so Scarborough wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

2 h behind Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

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

Scarborough Nosara 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,466 in Scarborough, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,699 per month in Scarborough 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 42% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $808 per month in Scarborough 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 Scarborough at $2,466. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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 $2,466 in Scarborough. 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.