Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mariehamn and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mariehamn: $1,740 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Mariehamn
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Mariehamn Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mariehamn

🇦🇽 Aland Islands

$1,740

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,740 per month in Mariehamn vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Mariehamn $1,740
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,582 per month in Mariehamn vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Mariehamn $2,582
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,425 per month in Mariehamn vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Mariehamn $3,425
Nosara $3,712

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

Both Mariehamn and Nosara sit above the global median – Mariehamn by 30%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 €13.60

$12.22 ₡5,509

24.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 €75.8

$60.2 ₡27.1K

41.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 €10.43

$7.54 ₡3,399

54.91%

Cappuccino

$5.32 €4.75

$4.31 ₡1,941

23.43%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$1.72 ₡773

76.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.35 ₡608

88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.14 €8.16

$3.24 ₡1,459

182.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 €7.87

$4.48 ₡2,018

96.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.57 ₡707

-14.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 €2.81

$3.17 ₡1,429

-0.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.42 ₡1,091

10.74%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.77

$3.57 ₡1,609

-13.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 €10.54

$7.43 ₡3,349

58.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 €8.74

$10.42 ₡4,697

-5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 €13.78

$13.66 ₡6,156

13.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.32 ₡1,044

10.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.61 ₡728

24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$4.74 ₡2,138

-49.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 €3.48

$1.66 ₡747

134.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.72 ₡1,679

-63.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$3.57 ₡1,611

-64.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.10 ₡497

99.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.55 ₡1,149

-15.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.71 €9.55

$4.95 ₡2,232

116.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 €12.28

$20.01 ₡9,020

-31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.04

$2.79 ₡1,256

21.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.58

$3.53 ₡1,589

-18.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.19 ₡537

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.1 €67.9

$72.1 ₡32.5K

5.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 €6.83

$2.24 ₡1,011

241.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.55 ₡701

83.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.57 ₡708

41.40%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$225 €201

$93.5 ₡42.1K

140.56%

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

$31.62 €28.22

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-9.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.35 €35.11

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-23.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.79

$7.84 ₡3,535

97.19%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €79.1

$53.5 ₡24.1K

65.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 €29.73

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$79.3 ₡35.7K

43.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 €70.7

$78.9 ₡35.6K

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 €579

$786 ₡354.3K

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 €488

$780 ₡351.6K

-29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 €896

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 €637

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-49.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,630 €2,347

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-62.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,469 €1,311

$1,201 ₡541.3K

22.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,643 €2,359

$876 ₡395.0K

201.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

8.62

-49.54%

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

Last update for Mariehamn: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mariehamn

$546 30.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 42.7% $234

Groceries & Markets

Mariehamn

$344 19.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1.5% $5.2

Eating Out

Mariehamn

$307 17.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 31.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mariehamn

$296 16.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 39.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Mariehamn

$142 8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15% $21

Getting Around

Mariehamn

$107 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mariehamn

$31 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 182% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $649 in Mariehamn versus $786 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 202% higher in Mariehamn, 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 $85.0 in Mariehamn versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Mariehamn vs $350 in Nosara – so Mariehamn wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇽 Mariehamn

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

04:12 4:12 AM

9 h behind Mariehamn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,817 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mariehamn Nosara 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mariehamn
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

Mariehamn vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 6% more than Mariehamn, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,609 per month in Mariehamn and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mariehamn, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,740 in Mariehamn and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 6%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Mariehamn and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mariehamn, where all-in costs run around $1,740, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Mariehamn it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mariehamn costs $1,740 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Mariehamn. 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.