Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,185 in Kriens, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kriens

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $3,185 in Kriens, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Kriens $3,185

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $4,881 in Kriens, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Kriens $4,881

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $6,576 in Kriens, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Kriens $6,576

Nosara is about 42% cheaper than Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Kriens sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Kriens by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$29.12 CHF 23.98

-57.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$105 CHF 86.3

-41.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$18.26 CHF 15.04

-58.82%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-25.76%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$5.05 CHF 4.16

-65.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$4.91 CHF 4.05

-73.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.96 CHF 4.91

-44.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.77 CHF 5.58

-33.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.63 CHF 2.99

-16.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.60 CHF 2.14

-3.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.59 CHF 6.25

-52.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$27.12 CHF 22.34

-72.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$31.41 CHF 25.87

-66.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$40.84 CHF 33.64

-65.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.87 CHF 2.37

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.80 CHF 1.48

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.35 CHF 1.94

104.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.50 CHF 4.53

-70.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.65 CHF 1.36

130.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 CHF 1.66

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.29 CHF 1.88

-50.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.37 CHF 1.13

94.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.92 CHF 9.00

-52.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.38 CHF 8.55

91.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.51 CHF 2.07

15.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.81 CHF 2.31

29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-75.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$99.9 CHF 82.2

-27.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-69.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$5.88 CHF 4.85

-73.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$36.61 CHF 30.15

-76.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-31.84%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$42.8K CHF 35.3K

-49.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-12.77%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$119 CHF 98.1

-19.19%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$37.75 CHF 31.09

-4.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$55.4 CHF 45.65

-3.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$90.7 CHF 74.7

-21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$44.27 CHF 36.46

-21.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$22.03 CHF 18.15

-64.19%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$3,113 CHF 2,564

-84.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$35.7K CHF 29.4K

-66.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$90.8 CHF 74.8

-40.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$68.0 CHF 56.0

-18.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 CHF 90.5

-29.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$169 CHF 139

-52.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,709 CHF 1,408

-53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,450 CHF 1,194

-45.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,788 CHF 2,296

41.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,421 CHF 1,994

-41.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$16.0K CHF 13.2K

-56.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$11.9K CHF 9,776

-89.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.9

353.68%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kriens: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kriens

$1.4K 45.5% 82.5% $655

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kriens

$594 18.7% 68.6% $242

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kriens

$442 13.9% 109% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kriens

$212 6.7% 14.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kriens

$197 6.2% 64% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kriens

$135 4.2% 54.3% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kriens

$155 4.9% 77.6% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,709 in Kriens. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $105 in Kriens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $594 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

17:40 5:40 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

25,932

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Kriens 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kriens

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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kriens costs about 73% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $4,777 in Kriens. 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 $494 per month in Nosara and $3,113 in Kriens. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Kriens, 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 Kriens at $3,185. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kriens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $3,185 in Kriens. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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