Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stratford, ON and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,958 in Stratford, ON, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Stratford, ON
Learn more

Stratford, ON Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Stratford, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,958

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,958 per month in Stratford, ON vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Stratford, ON $1,958
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,116 per month in Stratford, ON vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Stratford, ON $3,116
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,273 per month in Stratford, ON vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Stratford, ON $4,273
Nosara $3,818

Stratford, ON costs about 6% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stratford, ON and Nosara sit above the global median – Stratford, ON by 45%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.24

$12.35 ₡5,550

43.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.34 CA$70.1

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-19.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 CA$15.75

$7.52 ₡3,379

47.34%

Cappuccino

$3.41 CA$4.85

$4.41 ₡1,982

-22.68%

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

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.74 ₡781

-15.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.31 ₡588

1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 CA$5.80

$3.28 ₡1,474

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 CA$6.38

$4.47 ₡2,008

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.96

$1.56 ₡702

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$3.02 ₡1,358

-8.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.32

$2.51 ₡1,127

49.00%

Eggs

$2.96 CA$4.20

$3.57 ₡1,606

-17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 CA$14.02

$7.43 ₡3,340

32.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.08 CA$15.75

$10.52 ₡4,727

5.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.37 CA$30.37

$13.97 ₡6,277

52.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.91

$2.35 ₡1,054

47.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CA$1.43

$1.61 ₡721

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 CA$6.06

$4.80 ₡2,156

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.55

$1.61 ₡725

186.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.85

$3.80 ₡1,706

-10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.34

$3.69 ₡1,660

-36.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CA$3.48

$1.13 ₡508

116.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.11

$2.66 ₡1,193

-43.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.75 CA$15.27

$5.18 ₡2,326

107.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 CA$15.46

$19.88 ₡8,934

-45.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 CA$4.75

$2.90 ₡1,303

15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CA$4.31

$3.63 ₡1,629

-16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 CA$3.07

$1.12 ₡505

92.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.18 CA$69.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-32.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 CA$3.43

$2.14 ₡960

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 CA$2.55

$1.57 ₡705

14.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 CA$34.16

$8.52 ₡3,830

182.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 CA$1.51

$1.52 ₡683

-29.61%

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

$27.9K CA$39.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

28.92%

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

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.27%

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

$122 CA$174

$96.3 ₡43.3K

27.08%

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

$38.27 CA$54.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

6.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.75 CA$45.13

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-40.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.78 CA$60.8

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-40.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.28 CA$27.41

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-44.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.69

$7.89 ₡3,546

30.93%

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

$795 CA$1,130

$494 ₡222.0K

60.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K CA$24.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

44.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 CA$87.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.21 CA$51.5

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-34.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 CA$121

$77.9 ₡35.0K

9.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$172

$79.6 ₡35.8K

52.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 CA$1,643

$788 ₡354.1K

46.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 CA$1,229

$794 ₡356.9K

8.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 CA$2,958

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-47.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 CA$2,583

$1,419 ₡637.7K

28.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 CA$5,309

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-45.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,655 CA$3,773

$864 ₡388.0K

207.41%

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 Stratford, ON: 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

Stratford, ON

$864 44.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 8.1% $70

Groceries & Markets

Stratford, ON

$375 19.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6% $22

Eating Out

Stratford, ON

$257 13.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stratford, ON

$192 9.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.4% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Stratford, ON

$137 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.4% $17

Getting Around

Stratford, ON

$69 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 25.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Stratford, ON

$63 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,156 in Stratford, ON 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 207% higher in Stratford, ON, 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 Stratford, ON versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Stratford, ON vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Stratford, ON

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

22:18 10:18 PM

2 h behind Stratford, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,465

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stratford, ON Nosara 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Stratford, ON
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

Stratford, ON vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,958 in Stratford, ON, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,937 per month in Stratford, ON 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 48% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $795 per month in Stratford, ON 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 Stratford, ON at $1,958. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stratford, ON 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 $1,958 in Stratford, ON. 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, Stratford, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.