Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Embrach

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,413 in Embrach, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Embrach
Learn more

Embrach Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Embrach

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Embrach

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $3,413 in Embrach, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Embrach $3,413

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $5,157 in Embrach, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Embrach $5,157

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $6,900 in Embrach, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Embrach $6,900

Nosara is about 46% cheaper than Embrach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Embrach sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Embrach by 153%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$29.58 CHF 24.36

-58.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$119 CHF 97.7

-48.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$18.28 CHF 15.05

-58.86%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$6.10 CHF 5.02

-27.70%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$5.27 CHF 4.34

-66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$4.94 CHF 4.07

-73.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.93 CHF 7.36

-63.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$7.01 CHF 5.77

-36.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-29.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-17.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.63 CHF 2.99

-30.85%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.75 CHF 6.38

-53.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$25.68 CHF 21.15

-71.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$28.23 CHF 23.25

-62.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$39.96 CHF 32.91

-65.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.60 CHF 2.14

84.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-65.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.79 CHF 1.48

112.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.13 CHF 1.75

73.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.25 CHF 1.03

112.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.80 CHF 8.89

-52.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.55 CHF 10.33

58.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.69 CHF 2.21

7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.16 CHF 2.60

14.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$4.62 CHF 3.80

-75.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$97.8 CHF 80.5

-25.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$7.57 CHF 6.23

-71.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$4.62 CHF 3.80

-66.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$74.5 CHF 61.3

-88.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-30.28%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

-47.88%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-11.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$280 CHF 231

-65.60%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.14 CHF 27.30

8.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$56.0 CHF 46.09

-4.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$88.4 CHF 72.8

-19.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$46.03 CHF 37.91

-24.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$22.52 CHF 18.55

-64.96%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,681 CHF 2,208

-81.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$34.0K CHF 28.0K

-65.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$142 CHF 117

-62.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$58.3 CHF 48.02

-4.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$152 CHF 126

-48.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$186 CHF 153

-57.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,685 CHF 1,388

-53.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,472 CHF 1,213

-46.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,787 CHF 2,295

41.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,429 CHF 2,001

-41.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-55.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

-89.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$6,693 CHF 5,513

-87.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.07

316.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Embrach: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Embrach

$1.5K 43.2% 85.3% $678

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Embrach

$585 17.1% 66% $232

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Embrach

$464 13.6% 119% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Embrach

$369 10.8% 98.6% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Embrach

$242 7.1% 102% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Embrach

$133 3.9% 52.7% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Embrach

$147 4.3% 68.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,685 in Embrach. 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 675% higher in Embrach, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $119 in Embrach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $585 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Embrach

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

07:37 7:37 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

9,300

💱 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 Embrach 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Embrach

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 Embrach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $3,413 in Embrach – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $5,119 in Embrach. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $3,413 in Embrach. That's a gap of about 86%.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Embrach at $3,413. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Embrach it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $3,413 in Embrach. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Embrach makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.