Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,179 in Thunder Bay, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,179

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,179 per month in Thunder Bay vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Thunder Bay $2,179
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,301 per month in Thunder Bay vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Thunder Bay $3,301
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,423 per month in Thunder Bay vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Thunder Bay $4,423
Nosara $3,818

Thunder Bay costs about 18% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thunder Bay and Nosara sit above the global median – Thunder Bay by 61%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$12.35 ₡5,539

42.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 CA$84.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 CA$17.57

$7.52 ₡3,373

65.29%

Cappuccino

$3.31 CA$4.68

$4.41 ₡1,978

-24.94%

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

$1.86 CA$2.63

$1.74 ₡780

6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$1.31 ₡587

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.53

$3.28 ₡1,471

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 CA$7.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

11.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$1.56 ₡701

46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 CA$3.67

$3.02 ₡1,355

-14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$2.51 ₡1,125

32.67%

Eggs

$3.58 CA$5.06

$3.57 ₡1,603

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.32 CA$23.08

$7.43 ₡3,333

119.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.86 CA$22.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

50.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 CA$22.94

$13.97 ₡6,265

16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.68

$2.35 ₡1,052

40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.61 ₡720

-27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$4.80 ₡2,152

-18.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$1.61 ₡724

116.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-42.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$1.13 ₡507

152.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.22

$2.66 ₡1,191

-14.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.55 CA$14.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

103.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 CA$12.62

$19.88 ₡8,916

-55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 CA$2.85

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.26

$3.63 ₡1,626

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.12 ₡504

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 CA$89.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$2.14 ₡958

133.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$1.57 ₡703

30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.37 CA$48.58

$8.52 ₡3,823

303.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.42%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-45.23%

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

$160 CA$226

$96.3 ₡43.2K

65.70%

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

$56.8 CA$80.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

58.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 CA$114

$53.6 ₡24.0K

50.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.63 CA$40.48

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-60.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.26 CA$24.41

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.56%

Cinema Ticket

$17.28 CA$24.43

$7.89 ₡3,539

119.01%

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

$663 CA$937

$494 ₡221.6K

34.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 CA$109

$53.9 ₡24.2K

42.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 CA$48.86

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-37.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 CA$108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 CA$185

$79.6 ₡35.7K

63.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 CA$1,471

$788 ₡353.4K

32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 CA$1,308

$794 ₡356.2K

16.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 CA$2,597

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-53.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 CA$2,368

$1,419 ₡636.5K

18.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,601 CA$3,677

$864 ₡387.3K

201.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

8.62

-46.87%

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

Last update for Thunder Bay: 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

Thunder Bay

$925 42.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 14.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

Thunder Bay

$394 18.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thunder Bay

$297 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 37.5% $111

Eating Out

Thunder Bay

$268 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.2% $23

Getting Around

Thunder Bay

$88 4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 0.7% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Thunder Bay

$63 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,040 in Thunder Bay 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 201% higher in Thunder Bay, 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 $60.0 in Thunder Bay versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $394 in Thunder Bay vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

2 h behind Thunder Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,909

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Thunder Bay Nosara 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Thunder Bay
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

Thunder Bay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,179 in Thunder Bay, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,268 per month in Thunder Bay 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 14% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $663 per month in Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay at $2,179. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thunder Bay 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 $2,179 in Thunder Bay. 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, Thunder Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.