Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaughan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,554 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,554 per month in Vaughan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Vaughan $2,554
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,726 per month in Vaughan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Vaughan $3,726
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,898 per month in Vaughan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Vaughan $4,898
Nosara $3,818

Vaughan costs about 39% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vaughan and Nosara sit above the global median – Vaughan by 89%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 CA$23.66

$12.35 ₡5,539

35.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 CA$95.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

10.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 CA$14.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

32.85%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.15

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.46%

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

$1.97 CA$2.78

$1.74 ₡780

13.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.31 ₡587

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 CA$8.89

$3.28 ₡1,471

91.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CA$8.58

$4.47 ₡2,004

35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.56 ₡701

24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$3.02 ₡1,355

-25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$2.51 ₡1,125

7.17%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.22

$3.57 ₡1,603

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.03

$7.43 ₡3,333

24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 CA$17.10

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 CA$19.22

$13.97 ₡6,265

-2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$2.35 ₡1,052

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.61 ₡720

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$4.80 ₡2,152

-27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.61 ₡724

99.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$3.69 ₡1,657

-56.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$1.13 ₡507

95.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$2.66 ₡1,191

-56.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 CA$17.68

$5.18 ₡2,321

141.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 CA$16.85

$19.88 ₡8,916

-40.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$3.63 ₡1,626

-60.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 CA$3.87

$1.12 ₡504

144.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CA$147

$72.6 ₡32.6K

43.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.32

$2.14 ₡958

42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 CA$1.69

$1.57 ₡703

-24.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.75 CA$30.74

$8.52 ₡3,823

155.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.52 ₡682

-28.29%

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

$24.1K CA$34.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

11.40%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-45.46%

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

$110 CA$156

$96.3 ₡43.2K

14.58%

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

$29.17 CA$41.24

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-18.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.57 CA$70.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-7.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.67 CA$44.77

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.84 CA$29.46

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-40.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 CA$13.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

23.70%

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

$910 CA$1,286

$494 ₡221.6K

84.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K CA$24.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

42.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 CA$59.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-22.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 CA$52.0

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$150

$77.9 ₡34.9K

36.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 CA$2,359

$788 ₡353.4K

111.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CA$2,090

$794 ₡356.2K

86.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,629 CA$3,716

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,415

$1,419 ₡636.5K

70.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 CA$12.3K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

25.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,171 CA$8,724

$1,224 ₡549.0K

404.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 CA$4,107

$864 ₡387.3K

236.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.62

-37.47%

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

Last update for Vaughan: 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

Vaughan

$1.5K 57.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 46.3% $684

Groceries & Markets

Vaughan

$316 12.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.6% $37

Eating Out

Vaughan

$265 10.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaughan

$189 7.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.8% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Vaughan

$130 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.8% $10

Getting Around

Vaughan

$124 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 29.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Vaughan

$51 2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,669 in Vaughan 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 236% higher in Vaughan, 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 $67.0 in Vaughan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $316 in Vaughan vs $352 in Nosara – so Vaughan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

2 h behind Vaughan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,103

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

Vaughan Nosara 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vaughan
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

Vaughan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,554 in Vaughan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,831 per month in Vaughan 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 43% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $910 per month in Vaughan 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 Vaughan at $2,554. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaughan 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 $2,554 in Vaughan. 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, Vaughan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.