Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,042 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Gothenburg $2,042
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Gothenburg versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Gothenburg $3,064
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in Gothenburg versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Gothenburg $4,086
Nosara $3,712

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 52% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 128

$12.22 ₡5,509

5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 SEK 834

$60.2 ₡27.1K

38.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SEK 122

$7.54 ₡3,399

61.80%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 48.09

$4.31 ₡1,941

11.60%

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

$2.81 SEK 28.09

$1.72 ₡773

63.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.46

$1.35 ₡608

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.7

$3.24 ₡1,459

118.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 SEK 72.8

$4.48 ₡2,018

62.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.48

$1.57 ₡707

5.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 SEK 28.12

$3.17 ₡1,429

-11.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.25

$2.42 ₡1,091

33.47%

Eggs

$3.75 SEK 37.44

$3.57 ₡1,609

5.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 SEK 112

$7.43 ₡3,349

50.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 SEK 115

$10.42 ₡4,697

10.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 SEK 163

$13.66 ₡6,156

19.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.85

$2.32 ₡1,044

28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.98

$1.61 ₡728

55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.79

$4.74 ₡2,138

-37.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 SEK 43.27

$1.66 ₡747

160.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 18.03

$3.72 ₡1,679

-51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.86

$3.57 ₡1,611

-52.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SEK 19.66

$1.10 ₡497

79.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 SEK 15.74

$2.55 ₡1,149

-38.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.6

$4.95 ₡2,232

65.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 SEK 147

$20.01 ₡9,020

-26.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.88

$2.79 ₡1,256

-28.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.41

$3.53 ₡1,589

-36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 SEK 35.89

$1.19 ₡537

201.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 863

$72.1 ₡32.5K

19.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 60.2

$2.24 ₡1,011

169.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 SEK 16.43

$1.55 ₡701

5.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 588

$8.86 ₡3,993

564.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.24

$1.57 ₡708

9.55%

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

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

48.56%

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

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-3.60%

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

$101 SEK 1,012

$93.5 ₡42.1K

8.41%

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

$19.36 SEK 193

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-44.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 SEK 338

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-34.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 SEK 346

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-51.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.33 SEK 243

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-31.35%

Cinema Ticket

$18.36 SEK 183

$7.84 ₡3,535

134.18%

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

$223 SEK 2,229

$490 ₡220.7K

-54.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-62.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 SEK 869

$53.5 ₡24.1K

62.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.02 SEK 330

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-40.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 857

$79.3 ₡35.7K

8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,323

$78.9 ₡35.6K

67.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

$786 ₡354.3K

31.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 SEK 9,273

$780 ₡351.6K

18.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-54.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-1.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-12.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

181.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

293.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

8.62

-64.50%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: 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

Gothenburg

$928 45.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 16% $148

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1.6% $5.8

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$267 13.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 21.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 16.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$152 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 20.9% $32

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$71 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Gothenburg and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 293% 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: $83.0 in Gothenburg vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

21:28 9:28 PM

8 h behind Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

4,912

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Nosara 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
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

Gothenburg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 293% higher in Gothenburg, 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: $1,035 in Gothenburg versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Gothenburg 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 2% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,042 in Gothenburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg 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 11% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.