Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glattfelden and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,409 in Glattfelden, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Glattfelden
Learn more

Glattfelden Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Glattfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,409

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,409 per month in Glattfelden vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Glattfelden $3,409
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,193 per month in Glattfelden vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Glattfelden $5,193
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,977 per month in Glattfelden vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Glattfelden $6,977
Nosara $3,818

Glattfelden costs about 85% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glattfelden and Nosara sit above the global median – Glattfelden by 153%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.86 CHF 24.59

$12.35 ₡5,539

141.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$61.2 ₡27.4K

99.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.74 CHF 14.61

$7.52 ₡3,373

135.90%

Cappuccino

$5.89 CHF 4.85

$4.41 ₡1,978

33.56%

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

$5.25 CHF 4.32

$1.74 ₡780

201.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$1.31 ₡587

258.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.86 CHF 7.30

$3.28 ₡1,471

170.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 CHF 6.11

$4.47 ₡2,004

66.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$1.56 ₡701

37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 CHF 3.02

$3.02 ₡1,355

21.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 CHF 2.99

$2.51 ₡1,125

44.62%

Eggs

$7.55 CHF 6.22

$3.57 ₡1,603

111.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.28 CHF 21.65

$7.43 ₡3,333

253.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.48 CHF 22.63

$10.52 ₡4,717

161.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.35 CHF 33.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

188.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$2.35 ₡1,052

46.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 CHF 1.70

$1.61 ₡720

27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.14

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CHF 3.80

$1.61 ₡724

186.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 CHF 1.70

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 CHF 1.86

$1.13 ₡507

99.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-51.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 CHF 8.88

$5.18 ₡2,321

108.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 CHF 10.64

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.23

$2.90 ₡1,300

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$3.63 ₡1,626

-11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.57 CHF 3.77

$1.12 ₡504

308.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 CHF 82.0

$72.6 ₡32.6K

37.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 CHF 6.13

$2.14 ₡958

248.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$1.57 ₡703

194.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$76.4 CHF 62.9

$8.52 ₡3,823

796.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.52 ₡682

50.00%

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

$40.5K CHF 33.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

87.29%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

13.75%

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

$283 CHF 233

$96.3 ₡43.2K

194.10%

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

$32.72 CHF 26.95

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 45.75

$53.6 ₡24.0K

3.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.3 CHF 72.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.99 CHF 37.88

$34.91 ₡15.7K

31.74%

Cinema Ticket

$23.25 CHF 19.15

$7.89 ₡3,539

194.68%

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

$2,672 CHF 2,200

$494 ₡221.6K

440.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

188.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 114

$53.9 ₡24.2K

157.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 CHF 47.68

$55.4 ₡24.8K

4.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 CHF 126

$77.9 ₡34.9K

95.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 151

$79.6 ₡35.7K

130.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 CHF 1,369

$788 ₡353.4K

110.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CHF 1,210

$794 ₡356.2K

85.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 CHF 2,305

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-28.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 CHF 2,055

$1,419 ₡636.5K

75.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

125.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,722

$1,224 ₡549.0K

864.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,508 CHF 4,536

$864 ₡387.3K

537.83%

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 Glattfelden: 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

Glattfelden

$1.5K 43.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 45.9% $675

Groceries & Markets

Glattfelden

$583 17.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 39.6% $231

Eating Out

Glattfelden

$462 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 54.1% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glattfelden

$371 10.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Glattfelden

$240 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 49.9% $120

Getting Around

Glattfelden

$148 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 41.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Glattfelden

$135 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,662 in Glattfelden 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 538% higher in Glattfelden, 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 $122 in Glattfelden versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $583 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Glattfelden

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

22:57 10:57 PM

8 h behind Glattfelden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,400

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

Glattfelden Nosara 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Glattfelden
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

Glattfelden vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glattfelden costs about 85% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,113 per month in Glattfelden 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 $122 in Glattfelden 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 $3,409 in Glattfelden and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Glattfelden at $3,409. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glattfelden it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $3,409 in Glattfelden. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Glattfelden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.