Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiruna and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiruna: $1,747 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Kiruna
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,747
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,747 per month in Kiruna vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kiruna $1,747
  • Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,915 per month in Kiruna vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kiruna $2,915
  • Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,082 per month in Kiruna vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kiruna $4,082
  • Nosara $3,814

Kiruna is about 5% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kiruna and Nosara sit above the global median – Kiruna by 29%, Nosara by 35%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.82 SEK 137
$12.34 ₡5,535
11.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$128 SEK 1,270
$61.3 ₡27.5K
109.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.40 SEK 103
$7.76 ₡3,481
34.02%
Cappuccino
$4.33 SEK 42.90
$4.44 ₡1,992
-2.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 SEK 26.70
$1.79 ₡803
50.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 SEK 22.37
$1.29 ₡580
75.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.54 SEK 94.5
$3.24 ₡1,451
194.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.59 SEK 65.3
$4.43 ₡1,985
48.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 SEK 14.34
$1.55 ₡696
-6.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.80 SEK 27.79
$3.08 ₡1,380
-9.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.72 SEK 36.83
$2.53 ₡1,133
47.04%
Eggs
$3.55 SEK 35.18
$3.45 ₡1,546
2.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.29 SEK 122
$7.32 ₡3,284
67.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.80 SEK 137
$10.24 ₡4,594
34.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.62 SEK 194
$14.10 ₡6,326
39.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 SEK 27.66
$2.29 ₡1,027
21.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.53 SEK 25.12
$1.64 ₡737
54.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.61 SEK 25.90
$4.79 ₡2,149
-45.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.40 SEK 43.63
$1.64 ₡735
168.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 SEK 14.58
$3.85 ₡1,727
-61.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 SEK 15.77
$3.75 ₡1,681
-57.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 SEK 19.93
$1.09 ₡488
84.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 SEK 15.46
$2.59 ₡1,160
-39.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.46 SEK 64.0
$5.12 ₡2,295
26.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.69 SEK 96.1
$19.92 ₡8,931
-51.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 SEK 19.65
$2.80 ₡1,255
-29.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 SEK 19.75
$3.52 ₡1,580
-43.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 SEK 31.95
$1.22 ₡549
163.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.4 SEK 787
$73.9 ₡33.1K
7.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.85 SEK 57.9
$2.17 ₡973
169.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 SEK 16.68
$1.56 ₡698
7.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.9 SEK 563
$8.67 ₡3,886
555.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 SEK 20.90
$1.55 ₡697
36.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.3K SEK 310.1K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-9.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K SEK 329.6K
$38.7K ₡17.4M
-14.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.9 SEK 951
$94.8 ₡42.5K
1.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.86 SEK 246
$36.15 ₡16.2K
-31.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.94 SEK 356
$53.1 ₡23.8K
-32.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.74 SEK 374
$73.8 ₡33.1K
-48.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.04 SEK 248
$35.63 ₡16.0K
-29.72%
Cinema Ticket
$15.92 SEK 158
$7.91 ₡3,548
101.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$152 SEK 1,506
$490 ₡219.9K
-69.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,610 SEK 55.6K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-52.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 SEK 993
$54.8 ₡24.6K
82.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.87 SEK 445
$55.9 ₡25.1K
-19.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 SEK 810
$80.4 ₡36.0K
1.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 SEK 1,378
$77.9 ₡34.9K
78.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$812 SEK 8,047
$801 ₡359.1K
1.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$610 SEK 6,043
$790 ₡354.1K
-22.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,363 SEK 13.5K
$4,005 ₡1.8M
-65.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,123 SEK 11.1K
$1,409 ₡632.0K
-20.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,456 SEK 34.2K
$7,064 ₡3.2M
-51.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,527 SEK 25.0K
$1,236 ₡554.3K
104.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kiruna
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,257 SEK 32.3K
$887 ₡397.6K
267.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
8.62
-53.60%

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

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kiruna
$610
Nosara
$790 29.5% $180
Groceries & Markets
Kiruna
$366
Nosara
$350 4.4% $16
Eating Out
Kiruna
$274
Nosara
$213 22.5% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Kiruna
$165
Nosara
$121 26.5% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiruna
$157
Nosara
$184 17.4% $27
Getting Around
Kiruna
$107
Nosara
$89 16.7% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Kiruna
$70
Nosara
$90 28.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Kiruna versus $801 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 267% higher in Kiruna, 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 $128 in Kiruna versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Kiruna
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
18:09 6:09 PM
10:09 10:09 AM
8 h behind Kiruna
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,454
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 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
  • Kiruna Nosara 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kiruna
  • 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
Kiruna vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kiruna and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,747 in Kiruna, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Kiruna compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,621 per month in Kiruna and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kiruna and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kiruna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $128 in Kiruna and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kiruna, where all-in costs run around $1,747, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Kiruna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kiruna and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,747 in Kiruna to $1,835 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kiruna or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Kiruna and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Kiruna. 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.

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