Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dubendorf

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,678 in Dubendorf, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 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
180

Cost of Living Index in Dubendorf
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Dubendorf Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Dubendorf

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dubendorf

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 Dubendorf actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,678 in Dubendorf.

Nosara $1,839
Dubendorf $3,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $5,457 in Dubendorf.

Nosara $2,828
Dubendorf $5,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $7,236 in Dubendorf.

Nosara $3,818
Dubendorf $7,236

Living in Nosara costs roughly 50% less than in Dubendorf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Dubendorf 172% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$29.44 CHF 24.24

-58.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$118 CHF 97.4

-48.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$16.26 CHF 13.39

-53.75%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.92 CHF 4.88

-25.51%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$5.47 CHF 4.50

-68.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$4.88 CHF 4.02

-73.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.23 CHF 6.78

-60.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.44 CHF 5.30

-30.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-25.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.92 CHF 3.23

-22.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-45.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.33 CHF 6.04

-51.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$32.45 CHF 26.72

-77.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$26.18 CHF 21.56

-59.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$42.54 CHF 35.03

-67.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.57 CHF 2.94

-34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.11 CHF 2.56

54.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$7.00 CHF 5.76

-77.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.49 CHF 2.05

52.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.16 CHF 1.78

70.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-55.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.40 CHF 1.15

90.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.91 CHF 8.98

-52.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.34 CHF 10.98

49.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.34 CHF 1.93

23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.44 CHF 2.83

5.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-52.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$48.20 CHF 39.69

50.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.37 CHF 4.42

-60.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.43 CHF 2.82

-54.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$60.6 CHF 49.90

-85.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.25 CHF 1.86

-32.44%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.8K CHF 34.5K

-48.35%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-11.57%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$235 CHF 194

-59.05%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$31.38 CHF 25.84

14.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$65.2 CHF 53.7

-17.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$121 CHF 99.5

-40.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$78.7 CHF 64.8

-55.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$24.26 CHF 19.98

-67.48%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,777 CHF 1,463

-72.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

-63.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$140 CHF 115

-61.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$87.0 CHF 71.6

-36.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$146 CHF 120

-46.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$173 CHF 142

-53.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,805 CHF 1,486

-56.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,775 CHF 1,462

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,812 CHF 2,316

40.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,763 CHF 2,275

-48.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$12.0K CHF 9,902

-42.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$7,098 CHF 5,846

-82.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,844 CHF 3,166

-77.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.48

247.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubendorf: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Dubendorf

$1.8K 48.3% 124% $981

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Dubendorf

$626 17% 77.6% $273

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Dubendorf

$451 12.3% 113% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Dubendorf

$332 9% 78.6% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Dubendorf

$245 6.7% 104% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Dubendorf

$169 4.6% 93.7% $82

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Dubendorf

$80 2.2% 8.1% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,805 in Dubendorf. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubendorf pays 345% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $118 in Dubendorf for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $626 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Dubendorf

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

26,759

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dubendorf 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dubendorf

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 Dubendorf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Dubendorf differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $3,678 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 345% lower in Dubendorf. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,805 in Dubendorf. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $3,678 in Dubendorf – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 51% less than in Dubendorf. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,678 in Dubendorf, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Dubendorf. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Dubendorf are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Dubendorf. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.