Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lancy and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,280 in Lancy, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
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Lancy Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,280

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,280 in Lancy versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Lancy $3,280
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,151 in Lancy versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Lancy $5,151
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,023 in Lancy versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Lancy $7,023
Nosara $3,814

Living in Lancy is roughly 79% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lancy 142% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.74 CHF 23.68

$12.34 ₡5,584

132.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 102

$61.3 ₡27.7K

101.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.64 CHF 12.89

$7.76 ₡3,512

101.55%

Cappuccino

$6.32 CHF 5.20

$4.44 ₡2,009

42.34%

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

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$1.79 ₡810

154.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 CHF 3.30

$1.29 ₡585

210.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CHF 7.64

$3.24 ₡1,464

186.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$4.43 ₡2,003

74.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.55 ₡702

43.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 CHF 2.39

$3.08 ₡1,392

-5.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.57

$2.53 ₡1,143

23.72%

Eggs

$7.57 CHF 6.24

$3.45 ₡1,560

119.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.10 CHF 19.85

$7.32 ₡3,313

229.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.41 CHF 24.23

$10.24 ₡4,635

187.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.16

$14.10 ₡6,382

176.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$2.29 ₡1,036

54.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$1.64 ₡744

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$4.79 ₡2,168

-42.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$1.64 ₡742

190.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 CHF 1.30

$3.85 ₡1,743

-58.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$3.75 ₡1,696

-45.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.09 ₡492

102.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CHF 1.12

$2.59 ₡1,170

-47.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.93

$5.12 ₡2,315

111.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.17 CHF 10.03

$19.92 ₡9,010

-38.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 CHF 1.79

$2.80 ₡1,266

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.40

$3.52 ₡1,594

-17.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 CHF 3.21

$1.22 ₡554

219.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 CHF 78.0

$73.9 ₡33.4K

28.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$2.17 ₡982

256.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.78 CHF 3.12

$1.56 ₡704

142.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.6 CHF 53.2

$8.67 ₡3,921

644.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$1.55 ₡703

50.32%

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

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

12.22%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$38.7K ₡17.5M

2.04%

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

$276 CHF 227

$94.8 ₡42.9K

191.01%

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

$27.82 CHF 22.92

$36.15 ₡16.4K

-23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 CHF 45.42

$53.1 ₡24.0K

3.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 74.5

$73.8 ₡33.4K

22.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.39 CHF 38.22

$35.63 ₡16.1K

30.20%

Cinema Ticket

$24.28 CHF 20.00

$7.91 ₡3,579

206.95%

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

$2,430 CHF 2,002

$490 ₡221.8K

395.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

155.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 111

$54.8 ₡24.8K

146.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 CHF 50.2

$55.9 ₡25.3K

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$158 CHF 130

$80.4 ₡36.4K

96.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 154

$77.9 ₡35.2K

140.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 CHF 1,481

$801 ₡362.3K

124.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 CHF 1,140

$790 ₡357.2K

75.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,926 CHF 2,410

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,610 CHF 2,150

$1,409 ₡637.6K

85.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

153.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K CHF 9,367

$1,236 ₡559.2K

819.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡401.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

8.62

-77.03%

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

Last update for Lancy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lancy

$1.4K 42.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 43% $595

Groceries & Markets

Lancy

$568 17.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 38.4% $218

Eating Out

Lancy

$449 13.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 52.6% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lancy

$359 10.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 48.7% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Lancy

$244 7.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 50.3% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Lancy

$139 4.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 35.5% $49

Getting Around

Lancy

$137 4.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 35.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,798 in Lancy and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $124 in Lancy vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $568 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lancy

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

7 h behind Lancy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,919

4,912

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 452 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lancy Nosara 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lancy
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

Lancy vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,919 in Lancy and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,798 in Lancy versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,280 per month in Lancy versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 22% less than in Lancy. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $3,280 in Lancy, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lancy. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lancy, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Lancy. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.