Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Squamish, BC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,634 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Squamish, BC vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Squamish, BC $2,634
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,904 per month in Squamish, BC vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Squamish, BC $3,904
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,175 per month in Squamish, BC vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Squamish, BC $5,175
Nosara $3,818

Squamish, BC costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Squamish, BC and Nosara sit above the global median – Squamish, BC by 95%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 CA$23.02

$12.35 ₡5,547

31.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.77 CA$69.3

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-20.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 CA$14.23

$7.52 ₡3,377

33.11%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.60

$4.41 ₡1,981

-10.66%

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

$1.79 CA$2.54

$1.74 ₡781

2.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.09

$1.31 ₡588

12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.92

$3.28 ₡1,473

69.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$8.00

$4.47 ₡2,007

25.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.56 ₡702

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.99

$3.02 ₡1,357

-30.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.92

$2.51 ₡1,127

37.85%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.39

$3.57 ₡1,605

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 CA$17.60

$7.43 ₡3,338

66.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 CA$21.23

$10.52 ₡4,724

41.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 CA$27.24

$13.97 ₡6,274

37.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 CA$7.55

$2.35 ₡1,054

125.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.65

$1.61 ₡721

-27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.97

$4.80 ₡2,155

2.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.93

$1.61 ₡725

115.53%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.91

$3.80 ₡1,706

9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.51

$3.69 ₡1,659

-33.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.49

$1.13 ₡507

117.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$2.66 ₡1,193

-30.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.86 CA$21.12

$5.18 ₡2,324

186.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$15.04

$19.88 ₡8,929

-46.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$4.03

$2.90 ₡1,302

-2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CA$5.01

$3.63 ₡1,628

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$1.12 ₡505

27.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.87 CA$42.46

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-58.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 CA$5.12

$2.14 ₡959

68.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.57 ₡704

-12.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.89 CA$35.38

$8.52 ₡3,828

192.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.52 ₡683

-25.66%

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

$26.2K CA$37.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

21.04%

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

$18.6K CA$26.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.14%

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

$116 CA$166

$96.3 ₡43.2K

20.95%

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

$42.93 CA$61.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 CA$89.0

$53.6 ₡24.1K

16.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$72.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-28.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 CA$16.24

$7.89 ₡3,544

44.74%

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

$1,084 CA$1,541

$494 ₡221.9K

119.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 CA$11.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-30.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$73.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 CA$57.5

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 CA$113

$77.9 ₡35.0K

1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 CA$135

$79.6 ₡35.8K

19.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CA$2,225

$788 ₡353.9K

98.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 CA$2,157

$794 ₡356.7K

91.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,188 CA$4,532

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-19.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,719 CA$3,865

$1,419 ₡637.4K

91.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,931 CA$8,433

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-14.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,077 CA$4,376

$864 ₡387.8K

256.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

8.62

-45.24%

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

Last update for Squamish, BC: 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

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 57.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 47.6% $723

Groceries & Markets

Squamish, BC

$396 15.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.1% $44

Eating Out

Squamish, BC

$259 9.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Squamish, BC

$222 8.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 16.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Squamish, BC

$120 4.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.3% $14

Getting Around

Squamish, BC

$46 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 89.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,565 in Squamish, BC 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 256% higher in Squamish, BC, 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 $49.00 in Squamish, BC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $396 in Squamish, BC vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

1 h ahead of Squamish, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,512

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Squamish, BC Nosara 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Squamish, BC
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

Squamish, BC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,634 in Squamish, BC, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,951 per month in Squamish, BC 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 143% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Squamish, BC 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 Squamish, BC at $2,634. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Squamish, BC 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 $2,634 in Squamish, BC. 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, Squamish, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.