Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kista and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kista: $1,726 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Kista
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,726
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,726 per month in Kista vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kista $1,726
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,685 per month in Kista vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kista $2,685
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,644 per month in Kista vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kista $3,644
  • Nosara $3,818

Kista is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kista and Nosara sit above the global median – Kista by 28%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.98 SEK 129
$12.35 ₡5,539
5.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.9 SEK 752
$61.2 ₡27.4K
24.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.22 SEK 101
$7.52 ₡3,373
35.90%
Cappuccino
$4.44 SEK 44.02
$4.41 ₡1,978
0.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 SEK 25.65
$1.74 ₡780
48.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 SEK 21.83
$1.31 ₡587
67.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.07 SEK 70.1
$3.28 ₡1,471
115.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.28 SEK 72.1
$4.47 ₡2,004
62.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 SEK 16.27
$1.56 ₡701
5.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 SEK 26.68
$3.02 ₡1,355
-10.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.51 SEK 34.75
$2.51 ₡1,125
39.84%
Eggs
$4.24 SEK 42.04
$3.57 ₡1,603
18.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 SEK 116
$7.43 ₡3,333
57.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.62 SEK 115
$10.52 ₡4,717
10.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.38 SEK 172
$13.97 ₡6,265
24.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 SEK 30.22
$2.35 ₡1,052
29.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.48 SEK 24.53
$1.61 ₡720
54.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.89 SEK 28.60
$4.80 ₡2,152
-39.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.30 SEK 42.59
$1.61 ₡724
167.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 SEK 16.01
$3.80 ₡1,703
-57.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 SEK 15.49
$3.69 ₡1,657
-57.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 SEK 22.56
$1.13 ₡507
101.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 SEK 14.33
$2.66 ₡1,191
-45.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.22 SEK 71.6
$5.18 ₡2,321
39.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.69 SEK 96.0
$19.88 ₡8,916
-51.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 SEK 19.29
$2.90 ₡1,300
-32.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 SEK 21.15
$3.63 ₡1,626
-41.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Kista
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.27 SEK 32.41
$1.12 ₡504
191.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.2 SEK 755
$72.6 ₡32.6K
4.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.01 SEK 59.5
$2.14 ₡958
180.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 SEK 16.99
$1.57 ₡703
8.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$58.4 SEK 579
$8.52 ₡3,823
585.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 SEK 17.70
$1.52 ₡682
17.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.5K SEK 322.2K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
50.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K SEK 327.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-4.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 SEK 1,013
$96.3 ₡43.2K
6.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 SEK 238
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-33.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.81 SEK 375
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-29.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.48 SEK 371
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-47.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.74 SEK 255
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-26.27%
Cinema Ticket
$16.18 SEK 160
$7.89 ₡3,539
105.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$154 SEK 1,522
$494 ₡221.6K
-68.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,003 SEK 49.6K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-57.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 SEK 898
$53.9 ₡24.2K
68.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.01 SEK 396
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-27.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.3 SEK 885
$77.9 ₡34.9K
14.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 SEK 1,383
$79.6 ₡35.7K
75.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kista
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$795 SEK 7,877
$788 ₡353.4K
0.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 SEK 6,131
$794 ₡356.2K
-22.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,317 SEK 13.0K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-66.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 SEK 10.1K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-28.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,969 SEK 39.3K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-42.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,749 SEK 27.2K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
124.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kista
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.45
8.62
-59.98%

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

Last update for Kista: 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
Kista
$619
Nosara
$794 28.4% $176
Groceries & Markets
Kista
$351
Nosara
$352 0.5% $1.7
Eating Out
Kista
$257
Nosara
$212 17.5% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kista
$164
Nosara
$186 13.3% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Kista
$162
Nosara
$120 25.8% $42
Getting Around
Kista
$104
Nosara
$87 16.1% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Kista
$70
Nosara
$87 25.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in Kista 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Kista versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Kista vs $352 in Nosara – so Kista wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Kista
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
09:10 9:10 AM
01:10 1:10 AM
8 h behind Kista
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,254
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
  • Kista Nosara 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kista
  • 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
Kista vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kista or Nosara?
Nosara costs about 7% more than Kista, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kista and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,589 per month in Kista and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kista or Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kista, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Kista compared to Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,726 in Kista and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 7%.
How expensive is transport in Kista compared to Nosara?
Public transport costs about 5% less in Kista. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Kista or in Nosara?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kista, where all-in costs run around $1,726, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kista or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kista costs $1,726 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Kista compared to 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.
Should I move to Kista or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Kista. 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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