Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,574 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,574

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,574 per month in Victoria vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Victoria $2,574
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Victoria vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Victoria $3,856
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,138 per month in Victoria vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Victoria $5,138
Nosara $3,712

Victoria costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Victoria and Nosara sit above the global median – Victoria by 92%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$27.06

$12.22 ₡5,509

55.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.0 CA$99.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

16.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.46

$7.54 ₡3,399

43.77%

Cappuccino

$4.21 CA$6.00

$4.31 ₡1,941

-2.32%

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

$2.21 CA$3.15

$1.72 ₡773

28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.57

$1.35 ₡608

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 CA$8.11

$3.24 ₡1,459

75.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.23

$4.48 ₡2,018

44.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 CA$3.78

$1.57 ₡707

68.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$3.17 ₡1,429

-8.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.65

$2.42 ₡1,091

63.64%

Eggs

$4.04 CA$5.76

$3.57 ₡1,609

13.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.77 CA$38.16

$7.43 ₡3,349

260.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.55 CA$17.89

$10.42 ₡4,697

20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.51 CA$20.68

$13.66 ₡6,156

6.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.69

$2.32 ₡1,044

71.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.04

$1.61 ₡728

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.45

$4.74 ₡2,138

-19.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.89

$1.66 ₡747

148.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.04

$3.72 ₡1,679

-4.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.18

$3.57 ₡1,611

-17.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 CA$4.53

$1.10 ₡497

189.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.63

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.02 CA$21.41

$4.95 ₡2,232

203.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.86 CA$25.46

$20.01 ₡9,020

-10.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 CA$5.70

$2.79 ₡1,256

43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 CA$4.89

$3.53 ₡1,589

-2.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.19 ₡537

71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-18.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.81

$2.24 ₡1,011

19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.55 ₡701

-1.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.48 CA$47.72

$8.86 ₡3,993

277.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CA$1.93

$1.57 ₡708

-14.01%

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

$27.7K CA$39.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

27.26%

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

$18.5K CA$26.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-46.71%

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

$105 CA$150

$93.5 ₡42.1K

12.88%

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

$44.49 CA$63.4

$35.11 ₡15.8K

26.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 CA$87.6

$51.5 ₡23.2K

19.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 CA$60.5

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-40.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.27 CA$24.62

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-51.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.68 CA$15.22

$7.84 ₡3,535

36.22%

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

$878 CA$1,251

$490 ₡220.7K

79.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K CA$33.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

95.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 CA$75.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 CA$63.0

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-20.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$128

$79.3 ₡35.7K

13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$78.9 ₡35.6K

38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 CA$2,170

$786 ₡354.3K

93.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 CA$1,890

$780 ₡351.6K

70.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 CA$3,825

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 CA$3,222

$1,407 ₡634.4K

60.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 CA$7,651

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-23.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 CA$6,370

$1,201 ₡541.3K

272.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,202 CA$4,564

$876 ₡395.0K

265.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

8.62

-50.00%

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

Last update for Victoria: 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

Victoria

$1.3K 51.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 41.2% $546

Groceries & Markets

Victoria

$461 18%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 24.1% $111

Eating Out

Victoria

$292 11.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 28.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria

$211 8.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 14.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria

$133 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 9.7% $13

Getting Around

Victoria

$77 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.8% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria

$64 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,522 in Victoria 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 265% higher in Victoria, 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 $70.0 in Victoria versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $461 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Victoria

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

1 h ahead of Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,792

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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Victoria Nosara 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Victoria
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

Victoria vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,574 in Victoria, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,862 per month in Victoria 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 23% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $878 per month in Victoria 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 Victoria at $2,574. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Victoria 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 $2,574 in Victoria. 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, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.