Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzers and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,242 in Balzers, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Balzers
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Balzers Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Balzers

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,242

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,242 in Balzers versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Balzers $3,242
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,014 in Balzers versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Balzers $5,014
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,786 in Balzers versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Balzers $6,786
Nosara $3,712

Living in Balzers is roughly 76% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Balzers 142% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.43 CHF 25.26

$12.22 ₡5,509

149.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

97.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$21.49 CHF 17.83

$7.54 ₡3,399

185.01%

Cappuccino

$5.56 CHF 4.62

$4.31 ₡1,941

29.00%

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

$6.03 CHF 5.00

$1.72 ₡773

250.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 CHF 4.44

$1.35 ₡608

297.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 CHF 5.89

$3.24 ₡1,459

119.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CHF 5.90

$4.48 ₡2,018

58.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 CHF 2.16

$1.57 ₡707

65.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$3.17 ₡1,429

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.23

$2.42 ₡1,091

11.16%

Eggs

$12.03 CHF 9.99

$3.57 ₡1,609

236.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.01 CHF 20.76

$7.43 ₡3,349

236.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.41 CHF 19.43

$10.42 ₡4,697

124.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$48.70 CHF 40.42

$13.66 ₡6,156

256.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 CHF 2.87

$2.32 ₡1,044

48.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 CHF 3.17

$1.61 ₡728

137.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 CHF 3.37

$4.74 ₡2,138

-14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.13

$1.66 ₡747

54.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 CHF 1.94

$3.72 ₡1,679

-37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.74

$3.57 ₡1,611

-41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 CHF 1.71

$1.10 ₡497

87.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CHF 1.32

$2.55 ₡1,149

-38.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 CHF 10.04

$4.95 ₡2,232

144.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.67 CHF 11.35

$20.01 ₡9,020

-31.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$2.79 ₡1,256

-28.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CHF 1.43

$3.53 ₡1,589

-51.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 CHF 2.90

$1.19 ₡537

193.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.4 CHF 67.6

$72.1 ₡32.5K

12.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 CHF 1.48

$2.24 ₡1,011

-20.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.86 CHF 4.86

$1.55 ₡701

278.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 CHF 6.92

$8.86 ₡3,993

-5.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$1.57 ₡708

36.31%

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

$33.8K CHF 28.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

55.11%

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

$32.2K CHF 26.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-7.05%

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

$216 CHF 179

$93.5 ₡42.1K

131.32%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.37

$35.11 ₡15.8K

11.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 CHF 58.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

37.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.7 CHF 77.0

$71.4 ₡32.2K

29.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.01 CHF 19.93

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-32.25%

Cinema Ticket

$24.20 CHF 20.08

$7.84 ₡3,535

208.67%

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

$296 CHF 245

$490 ₡220.7K

-39.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,624 CHF 7,158

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-27.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 CHF 104

$53.5 ₡24.1K

134.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 CHF 42.09

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-9.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$171 CHF 142

$79.3 ₡35.7K

115.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$221 CHF 183

$78.9 ₡35.6K

179.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$989 CHF 821

$786 ₡354.3K

25.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CHF 1,046

$780 ₡351.6K

61.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,849 CHF 2,364

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 CHF 1,919

$1,407 ₡634.4K

64.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K CHF 13.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

131.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,180 CHF 4,300

$1,201 ₡541.3K

331.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,613 CHF 7,148

$876 ₡395.0K

882.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.55

8.62

-12.41%

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

Last update for Balzers: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balzers

$1.3K 39.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 38.1% $480

Groceries & Markets

Balzers

$601 18.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 41.8% $252

Eating Out

Balzers

$470 14.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 55.4% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balzers

$326 10.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 44.7% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Balzers

$256 8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 52.9% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Balzers

$141 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.3% $54

Getting Around

Balzers

$126 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 31.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $989 in Balzers and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balzers pays 883% 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: $119 in Balzers vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $601 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇮 Balzers

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

21:23 9:23 PM

8 h behind Balzers

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

4,912

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balzers Nosara 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Balzers
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

Balzers vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 883% higher in Balzers, 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: $989 in Balzers versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Balzers. 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 $60.0 versus $119 in Balzers. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $3,242 in Balzers, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Balzers. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Balzers, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Balzers 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 76% less than in Balzers. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.