Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,148

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,148 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,148
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,185 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,185
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,222 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,222
Nosara $3,790

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 17% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nosara sit above the global median – St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador by 59%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.69

$12.38 ₡5,577

42.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.7 CA$100

$60.6 ₡27.3K

18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 CA$16.98

$7.81 ₡3,518

55.70%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.70

$4.37 ₡1,969

-6.64%

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

$2.64 CA$3.68

$1.78 ₡802

48.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.35 ₡606

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.79

$3.39 ₡1,528

43.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 CA$7.40

$4.31 ₡1,942

22.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CA$3.88

$1.55 ₡700

79.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CA$4.22

$3.17 ₡1,428

-4.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.22 CA$8.69

$2.51 ₡1,132

147.81%

Eggs

$3.75 CA$5.23

$3.53 ₡1,587

6.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 CA$13.31

$7.37 ₡3,318

29.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.20 CA$18.42

$10.46 ₡4,710

26.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 CA$16.53

$13.91 ₡6,264

-14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.72

$2.26 ₡1,020

112.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 CA$4.14

$1.56 ₡703

89.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.87 CA$6.79

$4.70 ₡2,116

3.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$1.62 ₡730

87.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$3.88 ₡1,749

-29.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$3.79 ₡1,706

-39.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 CA$4.03

$1.07 ₡482

170.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.32

$2.61 ₡1,176

-8.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 CA$19.23

$5.16 ₡2,323

167.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.02 CA$22.36

$20.33 ₡9,157

-21.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.12 CA$5.76

$2.91 ₡1,312

41.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 CA$5.98

$3.67 ₡1,653

16.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 CA$2.44

$1.31 ₡589

33.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 CA$76.6

$73.2 ₡33.0K

-25.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 CA$4.52

$2.19 ₡985

47.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 CA$2.52

$1.84 ₡831

-1.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.40 CA$41.05

$7.81 ₡3,519

276.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.56 ₡703

-8.33%

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

$27.9K CA$38.9K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-16.63%

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

$23.9K CA$33.4K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-37.23%

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

$183 CA$255

$95.9 ₡43.2K

90.54%

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

$42.03 CA$58.7

$35.37 ₡15.9K

18.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 CA$144

$53.7 ₡24.2K

92.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 CA$92.5

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 CA$26.50

$35.43 ₡16.0K

-46.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.71 CA$14.95

$7.72 ₡3,478

38.73%

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

$526 CA$735

$496 ₡223.2K

6.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K CA$14.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-14.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 CA$92.4

$54.6 ₡24.6K

21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 CA$70.5

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 CA$111

$79.8 ₡36.0K

-0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 CA$135

$77.9 ₡35.1K

23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 CA$1,417

$817 ₡368.0K

24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 CA$1,155

$800 ₡360.3K

3.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 CA$2,168

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-60.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 CA$1,887

$1,396 ₡628.5K

-3.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 CA$3,351

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-65.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,792 CA$2,501

$1,222 ₡550.4K

46.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,852 CA$3,981

$879 ₡395.9K

224.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

8.62

-46.98%

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

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$827 38.5%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 3.3% $27

Groceries & Markets

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$419 19.5%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 15.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$328 15.3%

Nosara

$185 10% 43.6% $143

Eating Out

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$281 13.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 24.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$132 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$88 4.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 5.4% $4.7

Getting Around

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$74 3.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 21.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $817 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 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $419 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

2 h 30 min behind St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,525

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Nosara 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,223 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,015 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Public transport costs about 25% less in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.