Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Martigny and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,004 in Martigny, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Martigny
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,004
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,004 in Martigny versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Martigny $3,004
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,136 in Martigny versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Martigny $4,136
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,268 in Martigny versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Martigny $5,268
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Martigny is roughly 63% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Martigny 123% above, Nosara 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$33.17 CHF 27.32
$12.35 ₡5,539
168.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 CHF 85.3
$61.2 ₡27.4K
69.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.29 CHF 15.89
$7.52 ₡3,373
156.52%
Cappuccino
$4.71 CHF 3.88
$4.41 ₡1,978
6.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.92 CHF 4.06
$1.74 ₡780
182.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 CHF 3.47
$1.31 ₡587
222.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.21 CHF 5.94
$3.28 ₡1,471
119.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.00 CHF 4.94
$4.47 ₡2,004
34.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 CHF 1.76
$1.56 ₡701
37.18%
White Bread (500g)
$3.51 CHF 2.89
$3.02 ₡1,355
16.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 CHF 1.97
$2.51 ₡1,125
-4.78%
Eggs
$4.42 CHF 3.64
$3.57 ₡1,603
23.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.71 CHF 19.52
$7.43 ₡3,333
219.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.54 CHF 16.09
$10.52 ₡4,717
85.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$29.66 CHF 24.43
$13.97 ₡6,265
112.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.21 CHF 2.64
$2.35 ₡1,052
36.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 CHF 1.39
$1.61 ₡720
4.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 2.03
$4.80 ₡2,152
-48.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.21 CHF 5.11
$1.61 ₡724
285.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 CHF 1.46
$3.80 ₡1,703
-53.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 CHF 1.77
$3.69 ₡1,657
-41.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 CHF 0.97
$1.13 ₡507
4.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 CHF 0.99
$2.66 ₡1,191
-54.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.74 CHF 8.84
$5.18 ₡2,321
107.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.91 CHF 9.81
$19.88 ₡8,916
-40.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 CHF 1.00
$2.90 ₡1,300
-57.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 CHF 1.93
$3.63 ₡1,626
-35.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.80 CHF 3.13
$1.12 ₡504
239.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.15 CHF 5.89
$2.14 ₡958
234.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.41 CHF 4.46
$1.57 ₡703
244.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$78.0 CHF 64.2
$8.52 ₡3,823
815.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.84
$1.52 ₡682
46.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.7K CHF 28.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
60.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.2K CHF 32.3K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
13.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$301 CHF 248
$96.3 ₡43.2K
212.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.67 CHF 20.32
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-31.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.26 CHF 39.75
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-9.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$21.27 CHF 17.52
$7.89 ₡3,539
169.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,166 CHF 2,608
$494 ₡221.6K
540.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.1K CHF 31.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
221.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$106 CHF 87.7
$53.9 ₡24.2K
97.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.35 CHF 39.00
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-14.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$162 CHF 134
$77.9 ₡34.9K
108.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$167 CHF 137
$79.6 ₡35.7K
109.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,279 CHF 1,053
$788 ₡353.4K
62.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,385 CHF 1,141
$794 ₡356.2K
74.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,047 CHF 1,686
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-48.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,613 CHF 1,329
$1,419 ₡636.5K
13.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Martigny
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.37
8.62
-72.51%

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

Last update for Martigny: 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
Martigny
$1.4K
Nosara
$794 42.6% $591
Groceries & Markets
Martigny
$472
Nosara
$352 25.4% $120
Eating Out
Martigny
$464
Nosara
$212 54.4% $253
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Martigny
$374
Nosara
$186 50.3% $188
Clothing & Footwear
Martigny
$217
Nosara
$120 44.7% $97
Getting Around
Martigny
$49 *
Nosara
$87 76.3% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Martigny
$43 *
Nosara
$87 105% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,279 in Martigny and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $104 in Martigny vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $472 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Martigny
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
06:56 6:56 AM
22:56 10:56 PM
8 h behind Martigny
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,361
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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
  • Martigny Nosara 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Martigny
  • 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
Martigny vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Martigny or Nosara?
Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Martigny. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Martigny and in Nosara?
You'd need roughly $4,506 in Martigny and $2,758 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Martigny compared to Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,279 in Martigny versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Martigny and in Nosara?
Childcare runs $3,166 in Martigny versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Martigny and in Nosara?
Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $104 in Martigny. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Martigny or in Nosara?
At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,004 in Martigny, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Martigny. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Martigny or Nosara?
Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.
How safe is Martigny compared to Nosara?
Safety-wise, Martigny and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Martigny. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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