Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsta and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsta: $1,642 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Marsta
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,642
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,642 per month in Marsta vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Marsta $1,642
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Marsta vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Marsta $2,549
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,456 per month in Marsta vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Marsta $3,456
  • Nosara $3,818

Marsta is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Marsta and Nosara sit above the global median – Marsta by 22%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.20 SEK 131
$12.35 ₡5,539
6.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 SEK 652
$61.2 ₡27.4K
7.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.22 SEK 101
$7.52 ₡3,373
35.90%
Cappuccino
$4.42 SEK 43.82
$4.41 ₡1,978
0.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 SEK 19.85
$1.74 ₡780
14.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 SEK 17.30
$1.31 ₡587
33.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.12 SEK 70.6
$3.28 ₡1,471
117.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.78 SEK 67.2
$4.47 ₡2,004
51.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 SEK 16.77
$1.56 ₡701
8.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 SEK 30.15
$3.02 ₡1,355
0.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.64 SEK 55.9
$2.51 ₡1,125
124.70%
Eggs
$3.57 SEK 35.39
$3.57 ₡1,603
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.48 SEK 134
$7.43 ₡3,333
81.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.95 SEK 88.7
$10.52 ₡4,717
-14.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.90 SEK 167
$13.97 ₡6,265
20.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 SEK 30.05
$2.35 ₡1,052
28.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 SEK 26.49
$1.61 ₡720
65.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 SEK 19.43
$4.80 ₡2,152
-59.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.72 SEK 36.89
$1.61 ₡724
131.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.41 SEK 13.98
$3.80 ₡1,703
-62.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 SEK 14.66
$3.69 ₡1,657
-59.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 SEK 19.31
$1.13 ₡507
72.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 SEK 18.10
$2.66 ₡1,191
-31.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.15 SEK 70.9
$5.18 ₡2,321
38.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.10 SEK 100
$19.88 ₡8,916
-49.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 SEK 18.56
$2.90 ₡1,300
-35.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 SEK 20.13
$3.63 ₡1,626
-44.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.36 SEK 33.27
$1.12 ₡504
200.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.8 SEK 751
$72.6 ₡32.6K
4.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$13.16 SEK 130
$2.14 ₡958
514.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 SEK 19.86
$1.57 ₡703
27.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.4 SEK 559
$8.52 ₡3,823
562.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 SEK 17.20
$1.52 ₡682
14.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K SEK 321.1K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
49.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K SEK 321.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-5.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.2 SEK 597
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-37.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.96 SEK 277
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-22.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.22 SEK 389
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-26.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.67 SEK 373
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-47.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.55 SEK 263
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-23.95%
Cinema Ticket
$16.03 SEK 159
$7.89 ₡3,539
103.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$216 SEK 2,137
$494 ₡221.6K
-56.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,033 SEK 49.9K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-57.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.36 SEK 489
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-8.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.13 SEK 299
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-45.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.4 SEK 885
$77.9 ₡34.9K
14.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 SEK 995
$79.6 ₡35.7K
26.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 SEK 7,943
$788 ₡353.4K
1.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$610 SEK 6,042
$794 ₡356.2K
-23.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,347 SEK 13.3K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-65.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,005 SEK 9,954
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-29.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,974 SEK 39.4K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-42.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,757 SEK 27.3K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
125.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Marsta
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,563 SEK 45.2K
$864 ₡387.3K
428.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.8
8.62
-67.52%

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

Last update for Marsta: 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
Marsta
$610
Nosara
$794 30.3% $184
Groceries & Markets
Marsta
$348
Nosara
$352 1.1% $3.9
Eating Out
Marsta
$254
Nosara
$212 16.5% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marsta
$127
Nosara
$186 45.8% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Marsta
$121
Nosara
$120 0.9% $1.1
Getting Around
Marsta
$112
Nosara
$87 22.5% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Marsta
$70
Nosara
$87 25.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Marsta 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 428% higher in Marsta, 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 $66.0 in Marsta versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Marsta vs $352 in Nosara – so Marsta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Marsta
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
13:00 1:00 PM
05:00 5:00 AM
8 h behind Marsta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
24,068
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
  • Marsta Nosara 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Marsta
  • 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
Marsta vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Marsta?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,464 per month in Marsta and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Marsta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Marsta or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Marsta and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Marsta and in Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,642 in Marsta and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 12%.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Marsta or in Nosara?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Marsta, where all-in costs run around $1,642, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Marsta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Marsta or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Marsta – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Marsta or 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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Marsta. 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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