Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acquarossa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,452 in Acquarossa, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Acquarossa
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Acquarossa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Acquarossa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,452

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,452 in Acquarossa versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Acquarossa $3,452
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,397 in Acquarossa versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Acquarossa $5,397
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,342 in Acquarossa versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Acquarossa $7,342
Nosara $3,818

Living in Acquarossa is roughly 88% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acquarossa 156% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.09 CHF 28.90

$12.35 ₡5,539

184.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 119

$61.2 ₡27.4K

137.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.71 CHF 14.59

$7.52 ₡3,373

135.51%

Cappuccino

$6.86 CHF 5.65

$4.41 ₡1,978

55.56%

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

$5.84 CHF 4.81

$1.74 ₡780

235.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$1.31 ₡587

312.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 CHF 8.07

$3.28 ₡1,471

198.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 CHF 7.06

$4.47 ₡2,004

91.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.56 ₡701

39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 CHF 3.16

$3.02 ₡1,355

27.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 CHF 3.15

$2.51 ₡1,125

52.59%

Eggs

$8.35 CHF 6.88

$3.57 ₡1,603

133.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.93 CHF 22.18

$7.43 ₡3,333

262.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.71 CHF 22.82

$10.52 ₡4,717

163.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.7 CHF 50.9

$13.97 ₡6,265

341.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 CHF 3.36

$2.35 ₡1,052

73.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 CHF 2.29

$1.61 ₡720

73.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.88

$4.80 ₡2,152

-27.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$1.61 ₡724

178.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CHF 2.12

$3.80 ₡1,703

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 CHF 2.09

$1.13 ₡507

124.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-51.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$5.18 ₡2,321

112.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.74 CHF 11.32

$19.88 ₡8,916

-30.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$2.90 ₡1,300

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$3.63 ₡1,626

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.46 CHF 3.67

$1.12 ₡504

298.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 CHF 71.0

$72.6 ₡32.6K

18.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.31 CHF 6.85

$2.14 ₡958

288.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$1.57 ₡703

185.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.4 CHF 73.7

$8.52 ₡3,823

949.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$1.52 ₡682

57.89%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

79.28%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.06%

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

$272 CHF 224

$96.3 ₡43.2K

182.31%

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

$35.70 CHF 29.40

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 CHF 45.44

$53.6 ₡24.0K

2.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.0 CHF 77.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

31.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.31 CHF 32.37

$34.91 ₡15.7K

12.60%

Cinema Ticket

$24.28 CHF 20.00

$7.89 ₡3,539

207.73%

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

$3,551 CHF 2,925

$494 ₡221.6K

618.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

249.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 116

$53.9 ₡24.2K

161.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 CHF 48.18

$55.4 ₡24.8K

5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$77.9 ₡34.9K

106.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$257 CHF 212

$79.6 ₡35.7K

223.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 CHF 1,486

$788 ₡353.4K

129.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 CHF 1,100

$794 ₡356.2K

68.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,264 CHF 2,688

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 CHF 1,907

$1,419 ₡636.5K

63.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

104.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K CHF 8,838

$1,224 ₡549.0K

776.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.9K CHF 9,827

$864 ₡387.3K

1281.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

8.62

-75.99%

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

Last update for Acquarossa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acquarossa

$1.3K 38.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.5% $541

Groceries & Markets

Acquarossa

$672 19.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.6% $320

Eating Out

Acquarossa

$527 15.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 59.8% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acquarossa

$363 10.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.8% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Acquarossa

$278 8.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 56.8% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Acquarossa

$143 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.7% $55

Getting Around

Acquarossa

$135 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 35.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Acquarossa and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acquarossa pays 1282% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $145 in Acquarossa vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $672 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Acquarossa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

8 h behind Acquarossa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900

4,912

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 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 CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acquarossa Nosara 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Acquarossa
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

Acquarossa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Acquarossa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1282% higher in Acquarossa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,805 in Acquarossa versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 91% higher in Acquarossa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $145 in Acquarossa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,452 in Acquarossa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Acquarossa. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Acquarossa and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Acquarossa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.