Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Summerland and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,069 in Summerland, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Summerland
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Summerland Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Summerland

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,069

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,069 per month in Summerland vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Summerland $2,069
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,093 per month in Summerland vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Summerland $3,093
Nosara $2,828

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

Summerland $4,117
Nosara $3,818

Summerland costs about 13% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Summerland and Nosara sit above the global median – Summerland by 53%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 CA$15.09

$12.35 ₡5,539

-13.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 CA$68.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-21.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 CA$14.37

$7.52 ₡3,373

35.11%

Cappuccino

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.41 ₡1,978

-23.36%

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

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.74 ₡780

0.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.23

$1.31 ₡587

20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 CA$8.57

$3.28 ₡1,471

84.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 CA$7.80

$4.47 ₡2,004

23.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 CA$2.59

$1.56 ₡701

17.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$3.02 ₡1,355

-28.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.11

$2.51 ₡1,125

72.11%

Eggs

$3.03 CA$4.28

$3.57 ₡1,603

-15.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 CA$17.23

$7.43 ₡3,333

64.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.07 CA$25.54

$10.52 ₡4,717

71.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.37 CA$25.96

$13.97 ₡6,265

31.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 CA$6.50

$2.35 ₡1,052

95.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 CA$1.55

$1.61 ₡720

-31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.96 CA$7.02

$4.80 ₡2,152

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.11

$1.61 ₡724

124.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 CA$2.21

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$3.69 ₡1,657

-32.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.56

$1.13 ₡507

123.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 CA$2.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-29.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.81 CA$20.94

$5.18 ₡2,321

185.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 CA$14.61

$19.88 ₡8,916

-48.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.06 CA$5.74

$2.90 ₡1,300

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.63 ₡1,626

4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.12 ₡504

102.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.7 CA$87.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-15.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$2.14 ₡958

59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 CA$2.01

$1.57 ₡703

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.30 CA$34.35

$8.52 ₡3,823

185.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$25.8K CA$36.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

19.26%

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

$18.1K CA$25.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.43%

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

$114 CA$161

$96.3 ₡43.2K

17.94%

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

$34.52 CA$48.80

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-3.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 CA$79.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.11 CA$56.7

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$25.89

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-47.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.06 CA$9.98

$7.89 ₡3,539

-10.52%

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

$358 CA$506

$494 ₡221.6K

-27.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,387 CA$11.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 CA$73.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-3.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.76 CA$59.0

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 CA$113

$77.9 ₡34.9K

2.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 CA$138

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 CA$1,991

$788 ₡353.4K

78.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 CA$1,395

$794 ₡356.2K

24.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 CA$2,771

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-50.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 CA$2,432

$1,419 ₡636.5K

21.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,410 CA$6,235

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-36.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,753 CA$5,306

$1,224 ₡549.0K

206.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,430 CA$4,848

$864 ₡387.3K

297.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

8.62

-45.24%

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

Last update for Summerland: 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

Summerland

$987 47.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 19.5% $193

Groceries & Markets

Summerland

$409 19.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14% $57

Eating Out

Summerland

$211 10.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Summerland

$204 9.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Summerland

$122 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.7% $2.1

Getting Around

Summerland

$81 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 7.1% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Summerland

$54 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 61.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,408 in Summerland 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 297% higher in Summerland, 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 $48.00 in Summerland versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $409 in Summerland vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Summerland

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h ahead of Summerland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,000

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Summerland Nosara 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Summerland
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

Summerland vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,069 in Summerland, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,104 per month in Summerland 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 18% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $358 per month in Summerland 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 Summerland at $2,069. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Summerland 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 $2,069 in Summerland. 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, Summerland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.