Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chur and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,235 in Chur, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,235 per month in Chur vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Chur $3,235
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,037 per month in Chur vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Chur $5,037
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,840 per month in Chur vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Chur $6,840
Nosara $3,818

Chur costs about 76% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chur and Nosara sit above the global median – Chur by 140%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.57 CHF 23.53

$12.35 ₡5,539

131.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 CHF 87.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

74.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.08 CHF 13.24

$7.52 ₡3,373

113.83%

Cappuccino

$5.56 CHF 4.58

$4.41 ₡1,978

26.08%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.72

$1.74 ₡780

229.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 CHF 4.26

$1.31 ₡587

295.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 CHF 6.78

$3.28 ₡1,471

150.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 CHF 6.82

$4.47 ₡2,004

85.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$1.56 ₡701

41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 CHF 2.81

$3.02 ₡1,355

13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 CHF 3.47

$2.51 ₡1,125

67.73%

Eggs

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$3.57 ₡1,603

109.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.47 CHF 21.80

$7.43 ₡3,333

256.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.86 CHF 21.30

$10.52 ₡4,717

145.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.41 CHF 31.64

$13.97 ₡6,265

174.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$2.35 ₡1,052

52.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.61 ₡720

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.14

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 CHF 3.90

$1.61 ₡724

194.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.84

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$1.13 ₡507

114.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CHF 1.16

$2.66 ₡1,191

-46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.76

$5.18 ₡2,321

105.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 CHF 10.64

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.90 ₡1,300

-23.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.63 ₡1,626

-5.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.31 CHF 4.38

$1.12 ₡504

374.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$184 CHF 151

$72.6 ₡32.6K

152.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$2.14 ₡958

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.89 CHF 4.03

$1.57 ₡703

211.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.1 CHF 71.8

$8.52 ₡3,823

922.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.52 ₡682

38.16%

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

$40.9K CHF 33.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

89.39%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

8.98%

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

$232 CHF 191

$96.3 ₡43.2K

141.01%

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

$32.08 CHF 26.42

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-10.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 CHF 43.87

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-0.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.6 CHF 64.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

9.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.32 CHF 27.44

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-4.55%

Cinema Ticket

$21.55 CHF 17.75

$7.89 ₡3,539

173.13%

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

$2,424 CHF 1,997

$494 ₡221.6K

390.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.7K CHF 36.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

277.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 CHF 73.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

64.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.89 CHF 40.27

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-11.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 CHF 98.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

53.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 CHF 142

$79.6 ₡35.7K

116.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 CHF 1,407

$788 ₡353.4K

116.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 CHF 1,111

$794 ₡356.2K

69.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,988 CHF 2,461

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-24.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 CHF 2,073

$1,419 ₡636.5K

77.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,198 CHF 5,929

$6,912 ₡3.1M

4.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,335 CHF 4,394

$1,224 ₡549.0K

335.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,475 CHF 6,980

$864 ₡387.3K

881.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

8.62

-80.05%

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

Last update for Chur: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chur

$1.3K 41.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 41.1% $554

Groceries & Markets

Chur

$572 17.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 38.4% $219

Eating Out

Chur

$445 13.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 52.4% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chur

$317 9.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.5% $132

Getting Around

Chur

$237 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 63.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Chur

$193 6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 37.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Chur

$122 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 28.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,709 in Chur 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 881% higher in Chur, 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 $107 in Chur versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $572 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Chur

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

8 h behind Chur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,082

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

Chur Nosara 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chur
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

Chur vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,235 in Chur, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,852 per month in Chur 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,424 per month in Chur and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Chur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Chur at $3,235. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chur 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 $3,235 in Chur. 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, Chur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.