Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stephenville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,248 in Stephenville, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Stephenville
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Stephenville Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stephenville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,248

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,248 per month in Stephenville vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Stephenville $2,248
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,259 per month in Stephenville vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Stephenville $3,259
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,271 per month in Stephenville vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Stephenville $4,271
Nosara $3,790

Stephenville costs about 22% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stephenville and Nosara sit above the global median – Stephenville by 66%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 CA$25.34

$12.38 ₡5,577

46.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.4 CA$91.4

$60.6 ₡27.3K

7.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 CA$14.68

$7.81 ₡3,518

34.57%

Cappuccino

$3.68 CA$5.13

$4.37 ₡1,969

-15.79%

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

$2.05 CA$2.87

$1.78 ₡802

15.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.26

$1.35 ₡606

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 CA$7.24

$3.39 ₡1,528

52.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 CA$8.00

$4.31 ₡1,942

32.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.55

$1.55 ₡700

63.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 CA$3.54

$3.17 ₡1,428

-19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.70

$2.51 ₡1,132

34.26%

Eggs

$3.42 CA$4.77

$3.53 ₡1,587

-3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 CA$14.34

$7.37 ₡3,318

39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$15.86

$10.46 ₡4,710

8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 CA$20.70

$13.91 ₡6,264

6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.42

$2.26 ₡1,020

71.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.87

$1.56 ₡703

-14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 CA$4.97

$4.70 ₡2,116

-24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.33

$1.62 ₡730

135.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.40

$3.88 ₡1,749

-37.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CA$3.18

$3.79 ₡1,706

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.36 CA$6.09

$1.07 ₡482

307.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.20

$2.61 ₡1,176

-39.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.53 CA$20.28

$5.16 ₡2,323

181.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 CA$15.56

$20.33 ₡9,157

-45.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 CA$3.79

$2.91 ₡1,312

-6.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 CA$4.43

$3.67 ₡1,653

-13.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 CA$3.17

$1.31 ₡589

73.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.6 CA$88.7

$73.2 ₡33.0K

-13.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.19 ₡985

31.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.84 ₡831

-19.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 CA$33.14

$7.81 ₡3,519

203.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.63

$1.56 ₡703

-25.00%

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

$27.2K CA$37.9K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-18.66%

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

$21.4K CA$29.9K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-43.81%

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

$136 CA$189

$95.9 ₡43.2K

41.55%

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

$38.96 CA$54.4

$35.37 ₡15.9K

10.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CA$75.6

$53.7 ₡24.2K

0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.25 CA$52.0

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-44.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 CA$24.87

$35.43 ₡16.0K

-49.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 CA$15.08

$7.72 ₡3,478

39.90%

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

$643 CA$897

$496 ₡223.2K

29.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K CA$18.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

13.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 CA$76.6

$54.6 ₡24.6K

0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.47 CA$53.7

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-30.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 CA$119

$79.8 ₡36.0K

7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$77.9 ₡35.1K

34.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 CA$1,795

$817 ₡368.0K

57.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 CA$1,557

$800 ₡360.3K

39.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,843

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-47.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 CA$2,383

$1,396 ₡628.5K

22.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,445 CA$6,204

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-36.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,591 CA$5,012

$1,222 ₡550.4K

193.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

8.62

-45.71%

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

Last update for Stephenville: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stephenville

$1.1K 49.6%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 28.3% $315

Groceries & Markets

Stephenville

$361 16.1%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 2.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Stephenville

$273 12.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 21.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stephenville

$229 10.2%

Nosara

$185 10% 19.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Stephenville

$128 5.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 5.8% $7.4

Getting Around

Stephenville

$83 3.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 8.3% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Stephenville

$59 2.6%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 40.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,286 in Stephenville 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Stephenville versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Stephenville

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

22:50 10:50 PM

2 h 30 min behind Stephenville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,600

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Stephenville Nosara 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Stephenville
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

Stephenville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,248 in Stephenville, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,372 per month in Stephenville 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 $1,286 in Stephenville.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Stephenville and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Stephenville. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,248 in Stephenville 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.