Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ferney-Voltaire

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,510 in Ferney-Voltaire, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Ferney-Voltaire
🇫🇷 France
$2,510
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ferney-Voltaire

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 Ferney-Voltaire actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $2,510 in Ferney-Voltaire, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,835
  • Ferney-Voltaire $2,510

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $4,028 in Ferney-Voltaire, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,825
  • Ferney-Voltaire $4,028

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $5,547 in Ferney-Voltaire, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,814
  • Ferney-Voltaire $5,547

Nosara is about 27% cheaper than Ferney-Voltaire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Ferney-Voltaire sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Ferney-Voltaire by 85%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.34 ₡5,535
$20.16 €17.93
-38.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 ₡27.5K
$78.8 €70.1
-22.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.76 ₡3,481
$18.59 €16.54
-58.26%
Cappuccino
$4.44 ₡1,992
$4.72 €4.20
-5.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ₡803
$3.32 €2.95
-46.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 ₡580
$1.89 €1.68
-31.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,451
$7.26 €6.46
-55.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 ₡1,985
$5.64 €5.02
-21.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡696
$1.95 €1.74
-20.51%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 ₡1,380
$1.95 €1.73
57.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 ₡1,133
$1.89 €1.68
33.86%
Eggs
$3.45 ₡1,546
$3.30 €2.93
4.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.32 ₡3,284
$19.30 €17.17
-62.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.24 ₡4,594
$12.42 €11.05
-17.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.10 ₡6,326
$11.26 €10.02
25.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 ₡1,027
$2.85 €2.54
-19.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 ₡737
$2.18 €1.94
-24.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.79 ₡2,149
$3.39 €3.02
41.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.64 ₡735
$2.20 €1.96
-25.45%
Potato (1kg)
$3.85 ₡1,727
$1.93 €1.72
99.48%
Onion (1kg)
$3.75 ₡1,681
$2.20 €1.96
70.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ₡488
$1.14 €1.01
-4.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 ₡1,160
$0.76 €0.67
240.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.12 ₡2,295
$14.79 €13.15
-65.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.92 ₡8,931
$5.72 €5.09
248.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 ₡1,255
$1.75 €1.56
60.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 ₡1,580
$2.19 €1.95
60.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.22 ₡549
$3.31 €2.95
-63.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.9 ₡33.1K
$49.51 €44.04
49.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 ₡973
$8.73 €7.77
-75.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 ₡698
$2.49 €2.21
-37.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.67 ₡3,886
$34.18 €30.40
-74.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡697
$2.22 €1.98
-30.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$35.0K €31.1K
-1.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K ₡17.4M
$36.7K €32.6K
5.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.8 ₡42.5K
$161 €143
-40.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.15 ₡16.2K
$9.85 €8.77
267.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 ₡23.8K
$54.0 €47.99
-1.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.8 ₡33.1K
$99.7 €88.7
-25.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.63 ₡16.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.91 ₡3,548
$11.40 €10.14
-30.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡219.9K
$2,464 €2,192
-80.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$45.2K €40.2K
-73.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ₡24.6K
$44.15 €39.27
24.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.9 ₡25.1K
$42.68 €37.96
30.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 ₡36.0K
$97.0 €86.3
-17.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$110 €97.8
-29.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$801 ₡359.1K
$1,587 €1,412
-49.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$790 ₡354.1K
$1,291 €1,148
-38.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,005 ₡1.8M
$2,760 €2,455
45.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,409 ₡632.0K
$2,783 €2,476
-49.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,064 ₡3.2M
$4,150 €3,692
70.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,236 ₡554.3K
$5,555 €4,941
-77.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Ferney-Voltaire
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$887 ₡397.6K
$3,961 €3,523
-77.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
3.65
136.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ferney-Voltaire: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$790
Ferney-Voltaire
$1.3K 63.5% $501
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Ferney-Voltaire
$314 10.2% $36
Eating Out
Nosara
$213
Ferney-Voltaire
$342 60.9% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$184
Ferney-Voltaire
$224 21.9% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$121
Ferney-Voltaire
$132 9.2% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$90
Ferney-Voltaire
$122 36.7% $33
Getting Around
Nosara
$89
Ferney-Voltaire
$84 5.4% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,587 in Ferney-Voltaire. 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 347% higher in Ferney-Voltaire, 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 $79.0 in Ferney-Voltaire. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $314 in Ferney-Voltaire – so Ferney-Voltaire wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇫🇷 Ferney-Voltaire
🕒 Local time
10:05 10:05 AM
18:05 6:05 PM
8 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
10,920
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Ferney-Voltaire 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Ferney-Voltaire

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 Ferney-Voltaire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ferney-Voltaire cheaper than Nosara?
Yes – Ferney-Voltaire is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $3,764 in Ferney-Voltaire. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $2,464 in Ferney-Voltaire. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Nosara and in Ferney-Voltaire?
Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Ferney-Voltaire – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Ferney-Voltaire?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Ferney-Voltaire at $2,510. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ferney-Voltaire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nosara or Ferney-Voltaire more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Ferney-Voltaire?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ferney-Voltaire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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