Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,527 in Cham versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Cham $3,527
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,432 in Cham versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Cham $5,432
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,337 in Cham versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Cham $7,337
Nosara $3,814

Living in Cham is roughly 92% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 160% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.40 CHF 25.04

$12.34 ₡5,535

146.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$61.3 ₡27.5K

99.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.19 CHF 14.98

$7.76 ₡3,481

134.41%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.09

$4.44 ₡1,992

38.96%

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

$5.52 CHF 4.55

$1.79 ₡803

208.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$1.29 ₡580

272.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 CHF 7.10

$3.24 ₡1,451

166.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 CHF 5.44

$4.43 ₡1,985

48.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.55 ₡696

38.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 CHF 3.13

$3.08 ₡1,380

23.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 CHF 3.18

$2.53 ₡1,133

52.57%

Eggs

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$3.45 ₡1,546

110.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.70 CHF 21.99

$7.32 ₡3,284

264.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.37 CHF 23.37

$10.24 ₡4,594

177.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.48 CHF 34.98

$14.10 ₡6,326

201.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CHF 3.48

$2.29 ₡1,027

84.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.64 ₡737

29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.79 ₡2,149

-31.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$1.64 ₡735

179.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$3.85 ₡1,727

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$3.75 ₡1,681

-42.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$1.09 ₡488

125.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.95

$2.59 ₡1,160

-55.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$5.12 ₡2,295

114.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CHF 10.48

$19.92 ₡8,931

-36.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$2.80 ₡1,255

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.52 ₡1,580

-10.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$1.22 ₡549

305.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$149 CHF 122

$73.9 ₡33.1K

101.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$2.17 ₡973

143.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$1.56 ₡698

117.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$8.67 ₡3,886

611.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$1.55 ₡697

49.68%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.97%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

0.79%

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

$279 CHF 230

$94.8 ₡42.5K

194.23%

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

$30.94 CHF 25.48

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-14.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 CHF 46.04

$53.1 ₡23.8K

5.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 74.5

$73.8 ₡33.1K

22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.67 CHF 40.90

$35.63 ₡16.0K

39.40%

Cinema Ticket

$25.71 CHF 21.18

$7.91 ₡3,548

225.03%

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

$1,791 CHF 1,475

$490 ₡219.9K

265.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

170.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$54.8 ₡24.6K

161.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 CHF 48.31

$55.9 ₡25.1K

4.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$168 CHF 138

$80.4 ₡36.0K

108.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 CHF 208

$77.9 ₡34.9K

224.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 CHF 1,432

$801 ₡359.1K

117.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 CHF 1,214

$790 ₡354.1K

86.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,977 CHF 2,452

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-25.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 CHF 2,142

$1,409 ₡632.0K

84.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

138.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

974.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Cham: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.5K 41.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 46.5% $685

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$604 17.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 42.1% $254

Eating Out

Cham

$470 13.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 54.7% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$366 10.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 49.7% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$280 7.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 56.8% $159

Getting Around

Cham

$191 5.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 53.5% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$142 4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 36.9% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,739 in Cham and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $604 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

8 h behind Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Cham Nosara 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cham
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

Cham vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 92% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,290 in Cham and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,739 in Cham versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,791 in Cham versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $3,527 in Cham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cham. 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 Cham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cham 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 92% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.