Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alesund and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,329 per month in Alesund vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Alesund $2,329
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,663 per month in Alesund vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Alesund $3,663
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,997 per month in Alesund vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Alesund $4,997
Nosara $3,818

Alesund costs about 27% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alesund and Nosara sit above the global median – Alesund by 72%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$12.35 ₡5,539

72.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 NOK 836

$61.2 ₡27.4K

45.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 NOK 125

$7.52 ₡3,373

75.93%

Cappuccino

$4.07 NOK 38.31

$4.41 ₡1,978

-7.71%

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

$2.08 NOK 19.55

$1.74 ₡780

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.12

$1.31 ₡587

79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.33 NOK 107

$3.28 ₡1,471

245.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 NOK 90.6

$4.47 ₡2,004

115.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.78

$1.56 ₡701

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 NOK 28.64

$3.02 ₡1,355

0.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.99

$2.51 ₡1,125

22.71%

Eggs

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.88 NOK 140

$7.43 ₡3,333

100.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 130

$10.52 ₡4,717

31.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 NOK 196

$13.97 ₡6,265

49.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.72

$2.35 ₡1,052

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NOK 21.34

$1.61 ₡720

40.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 NOK 21.28

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.46

$1.61 ₡724

127.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$3.80 ₡1,703

-35.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NOK 14.45

$3.69 ₡1,657

-58.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.19

$1.13 ₡507

165.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 NOK 17.11

$2.66 ₡1,191

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.98 NOK 141

$5.18 ₡2,321

189.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 NOK 178

$19.88 ₡8,916

-4.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.73

$2.90 ₡1,300

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NOK 36.99

$3.63 ₡1,626

8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 47.76

$1.12 ₡504

352.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 NOK 822

$72.6 ₡32.6K

20.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$2.14 ₡958

467.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 18.03

$1.57 ₡703

21.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 687

$8.52 ₡3,823

756.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.59

$1.52 ₡682

44.08%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

124.45%

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

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

23.87%

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

$285 NOK 2,683

$96.3 ₡43.2K

196.02%

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

$32.82 NOK 309

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 NOK 557

$53.6 ₡24.0K

10.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 NOK 552

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.12 NOK 293

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-10.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 NOK 164

$7.89 ₡3,539

120.91%

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

$235 NOK 2,209

$494 ₡221.6K

-52.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-78.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 NOK 816

$53.9 ₡24.2K

60.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 NOK 428

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,082

$77.9 ₡34.9K

47.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NOK 1,312

$79.6 ₡35.7K

75.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

$788 ₡353.4K

38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 NOK 7,368

$794 ₡356.2K

-1.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

13.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

95.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

$864 ₡387.3K

389.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

8.62

-51.04%

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

Last update for Alesund: 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

Alesund

$783 33.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1.5% $12

Groceries & Markets

Alesund

$420 18%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 16.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alesund

$377 16.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.7% $191

Eating Out

Alesund

$352 15.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.9% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Alesund

$174 7.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30.9% $54

Getting Around

Alesund

$129 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 32.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Alesund

$93 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.5% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Alesund 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 389% higher in Alesund, 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 $89.0 in Alesund versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Alesund

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

07:38 7:38 AM

8 h behind Alesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,683

4,912

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alesund Nosara 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Alesund
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

Alesund vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,329 in Alesund, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,493 per month in Alesund 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,329 in Alesund and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund 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 $2,329 in Alesund. 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, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.