Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,432 per month in St. Thomas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Thomas $2,432
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in St. Thomas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Thomas $3,274
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,117 per month in St. Thomas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Thomas $4,117
Nosara $3,818

St. Thomas costs about 32% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Thomas and Nosara sit above the global median – St. Thomas by 80%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.05 CA$29.92

$12.35 ₡5,550

70.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$89.0

$61.2 ₡27.5K

2.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$7.52 ₡3,379

51.33%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.71

$4.41 ₡1,982

-24.72%

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

$2.19 CA$3.12

$1.74 ₡781

25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.31 ₡588

21.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.14

$3.28 ₡1,474

53.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CA$8.37

$4.47 ₡2,008

31.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.96

$1.56 ₡702

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$3.02 ₡1,358

-13.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.30

$2.51 ₡1,127

48.61%

Eggs

$3.09 CA$4.39

$3.57 ₡1,606

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.13

$7.43 ₡3,340

33.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.43 CA$21.92

$10.52 ₡4,727

46.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 CA$27.29

$13.97 ₡6,277

37.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.49

$2.35 ₡1,054

64.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.61 ₡721

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.97

$4.80 ₡2,156

-27.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.64

$1.61 ₡725

146.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.78

$3.80 ₡1,706

-11.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$3.69 ₡1,660

-16.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.06

$1.13 ₡508

152.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$2.66 ₡1,193

-45.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CA$15.61

$5.18 ₡2,326

111.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.10

$19.88 ₡8,934

-35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$2.90 ₡1,303

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.95

$3.63 ₡1,629

-23.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.20

$1.12 ₡505

100.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$83.4

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-19.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 CA$3.27

$2.14 ₡960

7.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.57 ₡705

3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 CA$30.85

$8.52 ₡3,830

154.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.52 ₡683

-25.66%

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

$28.0K CA$39.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

29.72%

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

$19.7K CA$28.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.90%

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

$123 CA$175

$96.3 ₡43.3K

28.13%

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

$42.76 CA$60.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.8

$53.6 ₡24.1K

3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 CA$63.1

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-37.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 CA$28.87

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-41.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.69

$7.89 ₡3,546

30.93%

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

$399 CA$567

$494 ₡222.0K

-19.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

40.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 CA$50.9

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-35.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$117

$77.9 ₡35.0K

5.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$129

$79.6 ₡35.8K

13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,631

$788 ₡354.1K

45.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 CA$1,801

$794 ₡356.9K

59.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,550

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-54.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,089

$1,419 ₡637.7K

3.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,187 CA$5,951

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-39.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 CA$5,061

$1,224 ₡550.0K

190.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,221

$864 ₡388.0K

243.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

8.62

-42.11%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 37.3% $473

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$387 15.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.1% $35

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$294 12.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$222 9.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 16.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.8% $2.1

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$78 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 11.6% $9

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$65 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,148 in St. Thomas 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 244% higher in St. Thomas, 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

2 h behind St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 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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Highest

Between locations

St. Thomas Nosara 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,432 in St. Thomas, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,648 per month in St. Thomas 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 24% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $399 per month in St. Thomas 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 St. Thomas at $2,432. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas 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 $2,432 in St. Thomas. 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. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.