Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lugano

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,199 in Lugano, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Lugano
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Lugano Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Lugano

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lugano

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $3,199 in Lugano, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Lugano $3,199

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $5,142 in Lugano, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Lugano $5,142

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $7,084 in Lugano, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Lugano $7,084

Nosara is about 43% cheaper than Lugano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Lugano sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Lugano by 139%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$33.83 CHF 28.08

-63.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$177 CHF 147

-65.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$20.24 CHF 16.80

-62.75%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.49 CHF 3.73

-4.01%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$4.98 CHF 4.13

-65.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$3.88 CHF 3.22

-65.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$9.41 CHF 7.81

-65.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$7.26 CHF 6.02

-38.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.18 CHF 1.81

-27.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.68 CHF 3.06

-13.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$4.22 CHF 3.50

-42.65%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$7.24 CHF 6.01

-50.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$25.05 CHF 20.79

-70.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$29.40 CHF 24.40

-64.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$39.60 CHF 32.87

-65.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.29 CHF 2.73

-29.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.62 CHF 1.35

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.44 CHF 2.02

94.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$5.85 CHF 4.86

-71.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.79 CHF 1.48

107.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.19 CHF 1.82

63.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.42 CHF 2.01

-54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.11 CHF 0.92

129.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$10.88 CHF 9.03

-54.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$12.42 CHF 10.31

61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.13 CHF 2.60

-10.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.05 CHF 3.36

-12.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$3.17 CHF 2.63

-62.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$62.2 CHF 51.7

15.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$7.02 CHF 5.83

-68.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$5.70 CHF 4.73

-72.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$78.7 CHF 65.3

-88.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-28.31%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$34.5K CHF 28.7K

-36.87%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

-11.77%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$299 CHF 248

-68.74%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$21.76 CHF 18.06

61.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$48.69 CHF 40.41

5.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$89.1 CHF 73.9

-19.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$36.33 CHF 30.15

-2.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$21.77 CHF 18.07

-63.99%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$1,206 CHF 1,001

-59.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$34.4K CHF 28.5K

-65.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$109 CHF 90.7

-51.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$48.60 CHF 40.34

14.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$132 CHF 110

-40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$162 CHF 134

-51.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,690 CHF 1,403

-53.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,256 CHF 1,043

-37.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$3,534 CHF 2,933

9.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$2,520 CHF 2,092

-44.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$16.0K CHF 13.3K

-56.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$10.7K CHF 8,842

-88.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$6,585 CHF 5,466

-86.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.37

263.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lugano: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Lugano

$1.3K 39.9% 61.1% $476

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Lugano

$592 18.8% 69.4% $242

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Lugano

$482 15.3% 130% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Lugano

$369 11.7% 105% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Lugano

$203 6.5% 69% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lugano

$133 4.2% 52.3% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lugano

$110 3.5% 27.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,690 in Lugano. 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 651% higher in Lugano, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $177 in Lugano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $592 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Lugano

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

63,583

💱 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 = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lugano 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lugano

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 Lugano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugano costs about 74% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $4,799 in Lugano. 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 $1,837 in Nosara and $3,199 in Lugano. That's a gap of about 74%.

Public transport costs about 16% 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 $1,837, than in Lugano at $3,199. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lugano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $3,199 in Lugano. 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, Lugano makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.