Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,236 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,236 per month in Surrey vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Surrey $2,236
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Surrey vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Surrey $3,522
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,808 per month in Surrey vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Surrey $4,808
Nosara $3,712

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

Both Surrey and Nosara sit above the global median – Surrey by 67%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.87 CA$25.48

$12.22 ₡5,509

46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 CA$78.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-8.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 CA$14.62

$7.54 ₡3,399

36.07%

Cappuccino

$3.63 CA$5.18

$4.31 ₡1,941

-15.78%

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

$2.11 CA$3.00

$1.72 ₡773

22.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.23

$1.35 ₡608

16.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$8.05

$3.24 ₡1,459

74.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 CA$8.48

$4.48 ₡2,018

32.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.42

$1.57 ₡707

52.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.91

$3.17 ₡1,429

-35.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.09

$2.42 ₡1,091

47.52%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.61

$3.57 ₡1,609

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 CA$13.73

$7.43 ₡3,349

29.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.66

$10.42 ₡4,697

-1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.56 CA$27.89

$13.66 ₡6,156

43.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.48

$2.32 ₡1,044

35.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.61 ₡728

-18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.20

$4.74 ₡2,138

-37.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 CA$4.20

$1.66 ₡747

77.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$3.72 ₡1,679

-31.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 CA$2.82

$1.10 ₡497

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.56

$2.55 ₡1,149

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.86

$4.95 ₡2,232

181.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CA$20.12

$20.01 ₡9,020

-29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.51

$2.79 ₡1,256

-11.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CA$4.35

$3.53 ₡1,589

-13.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 CA$3.81

$1.19 ₡537

124.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CA$150

$72.1 ₡32.5K

46.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.66

$2.24 ₡1,011

14.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.13

$1.55 ₡701

-3.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.20 CA$38.77

$8.86 ₡3,993

207.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.57 ₡708

-16.56%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

27.51%

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

$18.5K CA$26.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-46.69%

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

$185 CA$263

$93.5 ₡42.1K

97.68%

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

$36.28 CA$51.7

$35.11 ₡15.8K

3.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$51.5 ₡23.2K

22.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.52 CA$49.21

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-51.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.21 CA$35.93

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-28.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 CA$18.10

$7.84 ₡3,535

61.99%

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

$832 CA$1,186

$490 ₡220.7K

69.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K CA$17.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 CA$78.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.3 CA$85.9

$55.8 ₡25.1K

8.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 CA$137

$79.3 ₡35.7K

21.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 CA$126

$78.9 ₡35.6K

11.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 CA$1,891

$786 ₡354.3K

68.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 CA$1,497

$780 ₡351.6K

34.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 CA$3,815

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-30.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 CA$2,972

$1,407 ₡634.4K

48.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,553 CA$13.6K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

37.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,388 CA$12.0K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

598.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,988 CA$4,260

$876 ₡395.0K

241.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

8.62

-43.50%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 25.7% $270

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$348 15.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0.3% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$284 12.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 36.6% $104

Eating Out

Surrey

$272 12%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 23.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$135 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Surrey

$126 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 31.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$60 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,327 in Surrey versus $786 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 241% higher in Surrey, 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 $55.0 in Surrey versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $350 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

1 h ahead of Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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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Highest

Between locations

Surrey Nosara 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

Surrey vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,236 in Surrey, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,353 per month in Surrey and $2,756 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 46% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $832 per month in Surrey and $490 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 $1,837, than in Surrey at $2,236. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,236 in Surrey. 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, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.