Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,999 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Lyon despite lower rent and utilities.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$1,999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lyon

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,999 in Lyon, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Lyon $1,999

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,120 in Lyon, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Lyon $3,120

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $4,240 in Lyon, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Lyon $4,240

Nosara is about 8% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Lyon sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Lyon by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$16.87 €15.05

-27.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$68.4 €61.0

-11.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$13.23 €11.79

-43.01%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.09 €3.65

5.38%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.79 €2.48

-38.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.74 €1.55

-22.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$7.81 €6.96

-58.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$6.00 €5.35

-25.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.56 €1.39

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.89 €1.68

67.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.53 €2.25

-4.35%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.98 €4.44

-28.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$22.71 €20.25

-67.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$12.56 €11.20

-17.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$23.40 €20.86

-41.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.32 €2.07

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.49 €2.22

-35.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.50 €3.12

35.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.34 €2.97

-50.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.57 €2.29

44.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.96 €2.64

20.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.38 €1.23

-20.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.11 €0.99

129.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$14.08 €12.55

-64.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.09 €7.21

147.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.68 €2.39

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.36 €3.00

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$2.32 €2.06

-48.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$83.5 €74.4

-13.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$8.26 €7.37

-72.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.19 €1.95

-29.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$42.44 €37.84

-79.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.22 €1.98

-29.28%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$34.4K €30.6K

-36.57%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.7K €30.9K

-0.06%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$271 €241

-65.47%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.32 €12.77

145.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.07 €26.81

71.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$39.48 €35.20

80.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$28.23 €25.17

25.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$14.86 €13.25

-47.24%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$636 €567

-23.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$11.5K €10.2K

3.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$117 €105

-54.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$43.54 €38.82

28.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$123 €109

-35.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$129 €115

-38.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$879 €784

-10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$678 €604

15.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,778 €1,586

117.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,300 €1,159

8.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$6,332 €5,646

10.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,977 €3,546

-69.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,091 €2,756

-71.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.68

134.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Lyon

$678 33.2% 13.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Lyon

$392 19.2% 12.1% $42

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 39.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Lyon

$315 15.4% 75% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Lyon

$186 9.1% 54.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 20.5% $18

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 28.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $879 in Lyon. 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 253% higher in Lyon, 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 $68.0 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $392 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

06:03 6:03 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

522,250

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lyon 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lyon

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 Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 9% 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 $2,999 in Lyon. 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 $1,999 in Lyon. That's a gap of about 9%.

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 Lyon at $1,999. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $1,999 in Lyon. 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, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.