Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,713 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,713

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,713 per month in Karlstad vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Karlstad $1,713
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,643 per month in Karlstad vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Karlstad $2,643
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,572 per month in Karlstad vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Karlstad $3,572
Nosara $3,818

Karlstad is about 7% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Karlstad and Nosara sit above the global median – Karlstad by 27%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.97 SEK 148

$12.35 ₡5,539

21.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 SEK 775

$61.2 ₡27.4K

27.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 SEK 95.7

$7.52 ₡3,373

28.46%

Cappuccino

$4.80 SEK 47.60

$4.41 ₡1,978

8.84%

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

$2.54 SEK 25.21

$1.74 ₡780

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SEK 20.98

$1.31 ₡587

61.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

134.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 SEK 63.9

$4.47 ₡2,004

44.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 SEK 15.00

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 SEK 28.64

$3.02 ₡1,355

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.48

$2.51 ₡1,125

46.61%

Eggs

$4.50 SEK 44.60

$3.57 ₡1,603

26.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 SEK 97.5

$7.43 ₡3,333

32.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 SEK 140

$10.52 ₡4,717

34.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 SEK 178

$13.97 ₡6,265

28.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.95

$2.35 ₡1,052

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 SEK 26.12

$1.61 ₡720

63.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.57

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 SEK 50.4

$1.61 ₡724

216.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 SEK 18.88

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 SEK 25.90

$1.13 ₡507

130.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 SEK 12.95

$2.66 ₡1,191

-50.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.3

$5.18 ₡2,321

33.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.86 SEK 97.7

$19.88 ₡8,916

-50.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.46

$2.90 ₡1,300

-18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.69

$3.63 ₡1,626

-42.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$1.12 ₡504

182.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 SEK 792

$72.6 ₡32.6K

9.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 SEK 53.7

$2.14 ₡958

153.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 SEK 13.16

$1.57 ₡703

-15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.5 SEK 609

$8.52 ₡3,823

621.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.50

$1.52 ₡682

16.45%

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

$32.2K SEK 319.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

49.17%

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

$32.7K SEK 323.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.31%

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

$101 SEK 1,001

$96.3 ₡43.2K

4.94%

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

$15.82 SEK 157

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.59 SEK 442

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-16.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.52 SEK 441

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 SEK 168

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-51.45%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 SEK 138

$7.89 ₡3,539

76.30%

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

$123 SEK 1,223

$494 ₡221.6K

-75.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,039

$53.9 ₡24.2K

94.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 SEK 386

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 SEK 728

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 SEK 1,403

$79.6 ₡35.7K

77.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SEK 8,264

$788 ₡353.4K

5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 SEK 5,617

$794 ₡356.2K

-28.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 SEK 11.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$861 SEK 8,528

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-39.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,710 SEK 36.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-46.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,794 SEK 27.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

128.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,220 SEK 31.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

272.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

8.62

-55.92%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$567 33.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.1% $227

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 4.7% $17

Eating Out

Karlstad

$276 16.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$161 9.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 15.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$161 9.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.6% $41

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 16.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$72 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $834 in Karlstad 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 273% higher in Karlstad, 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 $78.0 in Karlstad 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

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

07:07 7:07 AM

8 h behind Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

4,912

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karlstad Nosara 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlstad
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

Karlstad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,569 per month in Karlstad 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 Karlstad, 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 $78.0 in Karlstad 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 $1,713 in Karlstad and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Karlstad, where all-in costs run around $1,713, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Karlstad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlstad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Karlstad. 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.