Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreux and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,392 in Montreux, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
Learn more

Montreux Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,392 per month in Montreux vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Montreux $3,392
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,203 per month in Montreux vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Montreux $5,203
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $7,015 per month in Montreux vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Montreux $7,015
Nosara $3,818

Montreux costs about 84% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreux and Nosara sit above the global median – Montreux by 151%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.50 CHF 25.12

$12.35 ₡5,539

146.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 109

$61.2 ₡27.4K

115.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.41 CHF 15.16

$7.52 ₡3,373

144.81%

Cappuccino

$5.93 CHF 4.89

$4.41 ₡1,978

34.47%

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

$4.86 CHF 4.00

$1.74 ₡780

179.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$1.31 ₡587

213.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.83 CHF 8.10

$3.28 ₡1,471

199.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 CHF 8.11

$4.47 ₡2,004

120.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.56 ₡701

35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$3.02 ₡1,355

10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$2.51 ₡1,125

28.69%

Eggs

$7.08 CHF 5.83

$3.57 ₡1,603

98.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.74 CHF 20.37

$7.43 ₡3,333

232.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.15 CHF 23.19

$10.52 ₡4,717

167.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.23 CHF 32.31

$13.97 ₡6,265

180.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$2.35 ₡1,052

47.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.61 ₡720

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$4.80 ₡2,152

-49.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$1.61 ₡724

186.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.47

$3.80 ₡1,703

-52.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.58

$3.69 ₡1,657

-47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.13 ₡507

73.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$2.66 ₡1,191

-35.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.79

$5.18 ₡2,321

105.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$2.90 ₡1,300

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$3.63 ₡1,626

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$1.12 ₡504

305.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 82.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

38.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 CHF 6.20

$2.14 ₡958

251.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.95 CHF 3.25

$1.57 ₡703

151.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.4 CHF 51.4

$8.52 ₡3,823

632.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$1.52 ₡682

51.32%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

76.65%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.42%

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

$285 CHF 234

$96.3 ₡43.2K

195.64%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.18

$35.89 ₡16.1K

2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CHF 41.94

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 CHF 72.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

23.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.52 CHF 37.49

$34.91 ₡15.7K

30.39%

Cinema Ticket

$23.83 CHF 19.63

$7.89 ₡3,539

202.03%

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

$2,416 CHF 1,990

$494 ₡221.6K

389.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

202.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$53.9 ₡24.2K

154.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.0 CHF 62.6

$55.4 ₡24.8K

37.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$77.9 ₡34.9K

108.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$79.6 ₡35.7K

131.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 CHF 1,378

$788 ₡353.4K

112.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$794 ₡356.2K

81.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 CHF 2,371

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,458 CHF 2,025

$1,419 ₡636.5K

73.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

126.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,982

$1,224 ₡549.0K

890.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,082 CHF 6,657

$864 ₡387.3K

835.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

8.62

-77.38%

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

Last update for Montreux: 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

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.8% $646

Groceries & Markets

Montreux

$570 16.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 38.2% $218

Eating Out

Montreux

$475 14%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 55.4% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreux

$372 11%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.1% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Montreux

$252 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 52.4% $132

Getting Around

Montreux

$146 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 40.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Montreux

$136 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Montreux 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 836% higher in Montreux, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Montreux versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $570 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Montreux

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

22:46 10:46 PM

8 h behind Montreux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,208

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 = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 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).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreux Nosara 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreux
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

Montreux vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreux is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,088 per month in Montreux and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,416 per month in Montreux and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Montreux, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Montreux at $3,392. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreux it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreux makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.