Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Malmo despite lower rent and utilities.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Malmo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,046 in Malmo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Malmo $2,046

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,083 in Malmo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Malmo $3,083

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $4,121 in Malmo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Malmo $4,121

Nosara is about 10% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Malmo sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Malmo by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$14.90 SEK 149

-17.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$74.0 SEK 740

-18.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$12.18 SEK 122

-38.10%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-10.77%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-48.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-61.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-50.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.73 SEK 17.26

-9.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.87 SEK 28.67

10.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-27.11%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-13.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$12.74 SEK 127

-41.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$11.86 SEK 119

-12.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$21.61 SEK 216

-36.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.99 SEK 29.93

-22.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-37.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.96 SEK 29.61

60.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.15 SEK 41.43

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.66 SEK 16.62

124.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.53 SEK 15.29

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-55.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.23 SEK 12.24

107.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-35.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.53 SEK 115

73.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.01 SEK 20.05

38.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.34 SEK 23.43

50.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-62.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$63.5 SEK 635

13.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-62.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-35.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$49.13 SEK 491

-81.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.74 SEK 17.36

-9.77%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

-32.45%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

4.43%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$138 SEK 1,380

-32.35%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$26.21 SEK 262

33.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$36.07 SEK 361

42.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$39.93 SEK 399

78.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$28.69 SEK 287

23.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$17.17 SEK 172

-54.34%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$167 SEK 1,666

193.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

258.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$98.0 SEK 979

-45.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$44.19 SEK 442

26.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$113 SEK 1,125

-29.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$152 SEK 1,520

-48.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$818 SEK 8,173

-4.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

124.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

73.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

-62.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-71.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.05

182.62%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 4.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 6.3% $22

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 42.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 11.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Malmo

$183 9% 52.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 14.7% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 8.4% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,063 in Malmo. 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 247% higher in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $372 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

316,588

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Malmo 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 11% 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 $3,069 in Malmo. 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 $490 per month in Nosara and $167 in Malmo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Malmo, 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 $1,837, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $2,046 in Malmo. 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, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.