Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sherbrooke and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sherbrooke: $1,625 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sherbrooke
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Sherbrooke Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sherbrooke

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,625

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Sherbrooke vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Sherbrooke $1,625
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,516 per month in Sherbrooke vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Sherbrooke $2,516
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,408 per month in Sherbrooke vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Sherbrooke $3,408
Nosara $3,712

Sherbrooke is about 12% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sherbrooke and Nosara sit above the global median – Sherbrooke by 21%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 CA$24.52

$12.22 ₡5,509

40.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 CA$94.4

$60.2 ₡27.1K

10.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 CA$14.76

$7.54 ₡3,399

37.27%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.73

$4.31 ₡1,941

-22.97%

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

$1.85 CA$2.63

$1.72 ₡773

7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.56

$1.35 ₡608

32.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 CA$8.17

$3.24 ₡1,459

76.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.13

$4.48 ₡2,018

11.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 CA$3.78

$1.57 ₡707

68.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.93

$3.17 ₡1,429

-12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.19

$2.42 ₡1,091

50.41%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.39

$3.57 ₡1,609

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 CA$16.82

$7.43 ₡3,349

58.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.85 CA$15.47

$10.42 ₡4,697

4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.65 CA$22.31

$13.66 ₡6,156

14.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.90

$2.32 ₡1,044

78.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.61 ₡728

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.34

$4.74 ₡2,138

-21.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$1.66 ₡747

98.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.40

$3.72 ₡1,679

-54.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.77

$3.57 ₡1,611

-26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 CA$2.48

$1.10 ₡497

58.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.47

$2.55 ₡1,149

-32.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.51 CA$17.83

$4.95 ₡2,232

152.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CA$17.12

$20.01 ₡9,020

-39.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$2.79 ₡1,256

40.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 CA$5.37

$3.53 ₡1,589

6.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.76

$1.19 ₡537

121.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$88.6

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-13.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$5.09

$2.24 ₡1,011

59.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 CA$1.26

$1.55 ₡701

-43.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.80 CA$46.75

$8.86 ₡3,993

270.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.83

$1.57 ₡708

-18.47%

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

$28.0K CA$40.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

28.60%

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

$18.6K CA$26.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-46.35%

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

$69.3 CA$98.8

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-25.83%

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

$43.73 CA$62.3

$35.11 ₡15.8K

24.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.51 CA$67.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-7.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.41 CA$40.50

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-60.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.52 CA$9.29

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-81.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 CA$14.31

$7.84 ₡3,535

28.06%

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

$872 CA$1,244

$490 ₡220.7K

78.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,132 CA$13.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-23.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 CA$92.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

21.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 CA$42.93

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-45.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 CA$87.2

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-22.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$176

$78.9 ₡35.6K

56.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 CA$1,157

$786 ₡354.3K

3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 CA$815

$780 ₡351.6K

-26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 CA$1,780

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-67.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 CA$1,395

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-30.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,203 CA$3,140

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-68.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,766 CA$2,518

$1,201 ₡541.3K

47.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,732 CA$3,895

$876 ₡395.0K

211.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

8.62

-44.78%

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

Last update for Sherbrooke: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sherbrooke

$572 35.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 36.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Sherbrooke

$368 22.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 4.9% $18

Eating Out

Sherbrooke

$262 16.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 20% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sherbrooke

$161 9.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 12.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sherbrooke

$126 7.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 4.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Sherbrooke

$81 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sherbrooke

$48 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 79.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Sherbrooke 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.

Salaries run about 212% higher in Sherbrooke, 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 $66.0 in Sherbrooke versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sherbrooke

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

2 h behind Sherbrooke

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,950

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sherbrooke Nosara 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sherbrooke
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

Sherbrooke vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Sherbrooke, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Sherbrooke 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 Sherbrooke, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Sherbrooke. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $872 per month in Sherbrooke 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 Sherbrooke, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sherbrooke 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 $1,625 in Sherbrooke to $1,837 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 Sherbrooke. 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.