Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlskrona and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlskrona: $1,617 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Karlskrona
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,617
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,617 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $1,617
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,525 per month in Karlskrona vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $2,525
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,434 per month in Karlskrona vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $3,434
  • Nosara $3,818

Karlskrona is about 12% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Karlskrona and Nosara sit above the global median – Karlskrona by 20%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.71 SEK 126
$12.35 ₡5,539
2.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.9 SEK 633
$61.2 ₡27.4K
4.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.79 SEK 87.1
$7.52 ₡3,373
16.89%
Cappuccino
$3.96 SEK 39.23
$4.41 ₡1,978
-10.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 SEK 12.90
$1.74 ₡780
-25.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 SEK 21.71
$1.31 ₡587
67.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.04 SEK 69.8
$3.28 ₡1,471
114.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.09 SEK 50.5
$4.47 ₡2,004
13.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 SEK 14.36
$1.56 ₡701
-7.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 SEK 27.50
$3.02 ₡1,355
-7.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.60 SEK 35.72
$2.51 ₡1,125
43.43%
Eggs
$4.38 SEK 43.41
$3.57 ₡1,603
22.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.82 SEK 107
$7.43 ₡3,333
45.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.33 SEK 132
$10.52 ₡4,717
26.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.14 SEK 170
$13.97 ₡6,265
22.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 SEK 29.52
$2.35 ₡1,052
26.81%
Banana (1kg)
$2.43 SEK 24.06
$1.61 ₡720
50.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 SEK 29.43
$4.80 ₡2,152
-38.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.41 SEK 43.65
$1.61 ₡724
173.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 SEK 14.59
$3.80 ₡1,703
-61.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 SEK 15.20
$3.69 ₡1,657
-58.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.10 SEK 20.82
$1.13 ₡507
85.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 SEK 13.43
$2.66 ₡1,191
-48.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.19 SEK 71.2
$5.18 ₡2,321
38.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.29 SEK 122
$19.88 ₡8,916
-38.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 SEK 19.74
$2.90 ₡1,300
-31.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 SEK 16.77
$3.63 ₡1,626
-53.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.92 SEK 28.94
$1.12 ₡504
160.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.8 SEK 691
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-3.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.92 SEK 128
$2.14 ₡958
503.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 SEK 20.00
$1.57 ₡703
28.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$80.5 SEK 798
$8.52 ₡3,823
845.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 SEK 17.18
$1.52 ₡682
13.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K SEK 330.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
54.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K SEK 324.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-5.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.5 SEK 510
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-46.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.15 SEK 269
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-24.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.02 SEK 367
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-30.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.67 SEK 413
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-41.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.12 SEK 160
$7.89 ₡3,539
104.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$159 SEK 1,572
$494 ₡221.6K
-67.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.3 SEK 973
$53.9 ₡24.2K
82.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.03 SEK 198
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-63.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.0 SEK 783
$77.9 ₡34.9K
1.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 SEK 1,698
$79.6 ₡35.7K
115.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$664 SEK 6,583
$788 ₡353.4K
-15.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$564 SEK 5,585
$794 ₡356.2K
-29.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 SEK 10.7K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-72.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$946 SEK 9,373
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-33.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,898 SEK 28.7K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-58.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,466 SEK 24.4K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
101.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karlskrona
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,479 SEK 24.6K
$864 ₡387.3K
187.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
8.62
-51.04%

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

Last update for Karlskrona: 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
Karlskrona
$564
Nosara
$794 40.9% $231
Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
$358
Nosara
$352 1.7% $5.9
Eating Out
Karlskrona
$235
Nosara
$212 9.8% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
$166
Nosara
$120 27.6% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
$116
Nosara
$186 60.7% $70
Getting Around
Karlskrona
$104
Nosara
$87 16.6% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
$74
Nosara
$87 18.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $664 in Karlskrona 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 187% higher in Karlskrona, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Karlskrona versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Karlskrona
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
04:59 4:59 AM
20:59 8:59 PM
8 h behind Karlskrona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,212
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

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
  • Karlskrona Nosara 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karlskrona
  • 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
Karlskrona vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Karlskrona?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,425 per month in Karlskrona and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlskrona, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Karlskrona or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Karlskrona and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Karlskrona and in Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,617 in Karlskrona and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 14%.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Karlskrona or in Nosara?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Karlskrona, where all-in costs run around $1,617, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Karlskrona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Karlskrona or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Karlskrona – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Karlskrona or 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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Karlskrona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Karlskrona vs other spots: cost of living compared

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