Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dornbirn and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,306 in Dornbirn, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dornbirn
🇦🇹 Austria
$2,306
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,306 per month in Dornbirn vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Dornbirn $2,306
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,431 per month in Dornbirn vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Dornbirn $3,431
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,556 per month in Dornbirn vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Dornbirn $4,556
  • Nosara $3,818

Dornbirn costs about 25% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dornbirn and Nosara sit above the global median – Dornbirn by 71%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.06 €16.07
$12.35 ₡5,539
46.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.2 €69.6
$61.2 ₡27.4K
27.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.06 €9.84
$7.52 ₡3,373
47.07%
Cappuccino
$4.51 €4.01
$4.41 ₡1,978
2.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.21 €3.74
$1.74 ₡780
141.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 €3.17
$1.31 ₡587
172.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.14 €4.58
$3.28 ₡1,471
56.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 €3.87
$4.47 ₡2,004
-2.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 €1.48
$1.56 ₡701
6.41%
White Bread (500g)
$3.03 €2.70
$3.02 ₡1,355
0.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$2.51 ₡1,125
-13.15%
Eggs
$5.14 €4.57
$3.57 ₡1,603
43.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.43 €15.50
$7.43 ₡3,333
134.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.78 €12.26
$10.52 ₡4,717
30.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.51 €13.79
$13.97 ₡6,265
11.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 €2.50
$2.35 ₡1,052
19.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.36 €2.10
$1.61 ₡720
46.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.89 €3.46
$4.80 ₡2,152
-18.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.94 €3.51
$1.61 ₡724
144.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.19 €1.94
$3.80 ₡1,703
-42.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 €2.10
$3.69 ₡1,657
-36.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 €1.72
$1.13 ₡507
70.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 €0.91
$2.66 ₡1,191
-61.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.31 €6.50
$5.18 ₡2,321
41.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.23 €9.10
$19.88 ₡8,916
-48.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.32
$2.90 ₡1,300
-48.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 €1.67
$3.63 ₡1,626
-48.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.44 €3.06
$1.12 ₡504
207.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.6 €49.49
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-23.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.07 €4.51
$2.14 ₡958
136.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.57 ₡703
39.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.52 ₡3,823
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.63
$1.52 ₡682
21.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K €25.9K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
34.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K €24.8K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-19.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$306 €272
$96.3 ₡43.2K
218.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.36 €12.77
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-59.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.22 €26.88
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-43.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.0 €48.03
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-24.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.70 €13.97
$7.89 ₡3,539
98.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$435 €387
$494 ₡221.6K
-11.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$32.9K €29.2K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
177.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 €49.95
$53.9 ₡24.2K
4.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.7 €54.0
$55.4 ₡24.8K
9.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.72 €39.78
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-42.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.23 €39.34
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-44.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,210 €1,076
$788 ₡353.4K
53.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,024 €911
$794 ₡356.2K
28.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,902 €1,692
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-51.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,780 €1,583
$1,419 ₡636.5K
25.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,841 €7,865
$6,912 ₡3.1M
27.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,270 €6,467
$1,224 ₡549.0K
493.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dornbirn
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,823 €2,511
$864 ₡387.3K
226.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.61
8.62
-58.12%

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

Last update for Dornbirn: 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
Dornbirn
$1K
Nosara
$794 22.4% $230
Groceries & Markets
Dornbirn
$370
Nosara
$352 4.9% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dornbirn
$351
Nosara
$186 47.1% $165
Eating Out
Dornbirn
$297
Nosara
$212 28.8% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Dornbirn
$93
Nosara
$120 29.7% $27
Getting Around
Dornbirn
$85
Nosara
$87 2% $1.7
Sport & Entertainment
Dornbirn
$85
Nosara
$87 2.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,210 in Dornbirn 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 227% higher in Dornbirn, 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 $78.0 in Dornbirn versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇹 Dornbirn
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
04:29 4:29 AM
20:29 8:29 PM
8 h behind Dornbirn
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,222
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dornbirn Nosara 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dornbirn
  • 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
Dornbirn vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Dornbirn or Nosara?
Dornbirn costs about 25% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Dornbirn and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,459 per month in Dornbirn and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Dornbirn or Nosara?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Dornbirn and in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Dornbirn and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Dornbirn compared to Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,306 in Dornbirn and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 25%.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Dornbirn or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Dornbirn at $2,306. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dornbirn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Dornbirn or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,306 in Dornbirn. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Dornbirn compared to Nosara?
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.
Should I move to Dornbirn or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dornbirn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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