Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Brissago

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,504 in Brissago, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Brissago
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Brissago Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Brissago

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Brissago

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Brissago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $3,504 in Brissago, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Brissago $3,504

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $5,141 in Brissago, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Brissago $5,141

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $6,777 in Brissago, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Brissago $6,777

Nosara is about 48% cheaper than Brissago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Brissago sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Brissago by 159%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,554

$29.38 CHF 24.32

-58.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.6K

$123 CHF 102

-50.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,494

$15.55 CHF 12.87

-50.10%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,999

$6.77 CHF 5.61

-34.42%

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

$1.79 ₡806

$6.33 CHF 5.24

-71.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡582

$7.21 CHF 5.97

-82.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$9.14 CHF 7.57

-64.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,992

$7.99 CHF 6.61

-44.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡698

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-26.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,385

$3.00 CHF 2.48

2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,137

$3.14 CHF 2.60

-19.43%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,551

$7.88 CHF 6.53

-56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,296

$24.67 CHF 20.42

-70.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,610

$29.66 CHF 24.55

-65.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,348

$39.72 CHF 32.88

-64.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,030

$4.03 CHF 3.34

-43.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡740

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-18.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,156

$2.76 CHF 2.28

73.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡738

$4.76 CHF 3.94

-65.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,733

$1.66 CHF 1.37

131.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,687

$2.07 CHF 1.72

81.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡489

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-52.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,164

$1.35 CHF 1.12

91.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,303

$11.12 CHF 9.20

-53.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,963

$12.14 CHF 10.05

64.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,260

$2.19 CHF 1.81

27.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,585

$2.99 CHF 2.48

17.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡551

$4.69 CHF 3.88

-73.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.3K

$92.5 CHF 76.6

-20.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡977

$8.06 CHF 6.67

-73.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡700

$4.57 CHF 3.79

-65.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,900

$108 CHF 89.0

-91.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-32.31%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-12.75%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-1.17%

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

$94.8 ₡42.7K

$279 CHF 231

-66.07%

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

$36.15 ₡16.3K

$28.26 CHF 23.39

27.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.9K

$56.1 CHF 46.44

-5.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.2K

$79.8 CHF 66.0

-7.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$42.62 CHF 35.27

-16.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,560

$24.22 CHF 20.04

-67.34%

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

$490 ₡220.6K

$3,145 CHF 2,603

-84.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$30.8K CHF 25.5K

-61.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.7K

$141 CHF 117

-61.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.2K

$61.7 CHF 51.1

-9.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.2K

$154 CHF 128

-47.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$197 CHF 163

-60.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡360.4K

$1,807 CHF 1,496

-55.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡355.3K

$1,563 CHF 1,293

-49.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,635 CHF 2,181

51.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡634.2K

$2,281 CHF 1,888

-38.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$18.9K CHF 15.6K

-62.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡556.2K

$10.9K CHF 9,050

-88.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡399.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.46

250.41%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Brissago: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Brissago

$1.6K 44.6% 97.9% $773

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Brissago

$579 16.5% 65.7% $230

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Brissago

$479 13.7% 125% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Brissago

$364 10.4% 97.7% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Brissago

$249 7.1% 106% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Brissago

$128 3.7% 43.1% $39

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Brissago

$142 4.1% 60.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,807 in Brissago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $123 in Brissago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $579 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Brissago

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Brissago 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Brissago

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

Nosara vs Brissago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $3,504 in Brissago – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $5,256 in Brissago. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $801 there versus $1,807 in Brissago.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Brissago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $123 in Brissago. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Brissago at $3,504. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brissago 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.

For expats, Nosara is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 91% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.