Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.Catharines and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,309 in St.Catharines, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,309 per month in St.Catharines vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

St.Catharines $2,309
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,210 per month in St.Catharines vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

St.Catharines $3,210
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,111 per month in St.Catharines vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

St.Catharines $4,111
Nosara $3,814

St.Catharines costs about 26% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both St.Catharines and Nosara sit above the global median – St.Catharines by 70%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.32 CA$20.24

$12.34 ₡5,535

16.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 CA$81.5

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-6.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 CA$17.86

$7.76 ₡3,481

62.76%

Cappuccino

$3.03 CA$4.29

$4.44 ₡1,992

-31.76%

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

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.79 ₡803

-7.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.29 ₡580

24.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 CA$6.58

$3.24 ₡1,451

43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 CA$6.52

$4.43 ₡1,985

4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.96

$1.55 ₡696

34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$3.08 ₡1,380

-29.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 CA$6.50

$2.53 ₡1,133

81.82%

Eggs

$4.28 CA$6.06

$3.45 ₡1,546

24.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 CA$21.06

$7.32 ₡3,284

103.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 CA$15.86

$10.24 ₡4,594

9.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 CA$19.85

$14.10 ₡6,326

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$2.29 ₡1,027

126.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.64 ₡737

-32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 CA$6.17

$4.79 ₡2,149

-8.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.85

$1.64 ₡735

152.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.85 ₡1,727

-26.75%

Onion (1kg)

$4.39 CA$6.20

$3.75 ₡1,681

17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$1.09 ₡488

138.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.83

$2.59 ₡1,160

-50.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.41

$5.12 ₡2,295

168.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 CA$17.88

$19.92 ₡8,931

-36.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$2.80 ₡1,255

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CA$4.28

$3.52 ₡1,580

-14.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$1.22 ₡549

101.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 CA$100

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-4.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$2.17 ₡973

32.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.56 ₡698

42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 CA$31.50

$8.67 ₡3,886

156.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.55 ₡697

-25.81%

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

$26.4K CA$37.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.52%

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

$22.0K CA$31.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-43.27%

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

$178 CA$251

$94.8 ₡42.5K

87.61%

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

$33.39 CA$47.21

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-7.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.75 CA$67.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-10.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.41 CA$44.41

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-57.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.10 CA$58.1

$35.63 ₡16.0K

15.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 CA$15.60

$7.91 ₡3,548

39.57%

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

$504 CA$713

$490 ₡219.9K

2.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

132.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 CA$104

$54.8 ₡24.6K

34.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 CA$73.8

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-6.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 CA$113

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 CA$108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CA$1,710

$801 ₡359.1K

51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 CA$1,638

$790 ₡354.1K

46.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 CA$2,413

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-57.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 CA$2,201

$1,409 ₡632.0K

10.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,026 CA$4,277

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-57.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,824

$1,236 ₡554.3K

118.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,969 CA$4,198

$887 ₡397.6K

234.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.71

8.62

-33.76%

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

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 31.9% $369

Groceries & Markets

St.Catharines

$381 16.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 8.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.Catharines

$259 11.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 29% $75

Eating Out

St.Catharines

$234 10.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 9.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

St.Catharines

$127 5.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 4.9% $6.2

Getting Around

St.Catharines

$95 4.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 6.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

St.Catharines

$53 2.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 67.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,210 in St.Catharines 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 235% higher in St.Catharines, 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in St.Catharines vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

00:47 12:47 AM

2 h behind St.Catharines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,113

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

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Highest

Between locations

St.Catharines Nosara 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

St.Catharines
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

St.Catharines vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,309 in St.Catharines, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,464 per month in St.Catharines 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 4% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $504 per month in St.Catharines 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 Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in St.Catharines at $2,309. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St.Catharines 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 $2,309 in St.Catharines. 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, St.Catharines makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.