Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Muralto

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,658 in Muralto, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Muralto
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Muralto Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Muralto

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Muralto

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $3,658 in Muralto, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Muralto $3,658

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $5,343 in Muralto, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Muralto $5,343

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $7,028 in Muralto, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Muralto $7,028

Nosara is about 50% cheaper than Muralto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Muralto sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Muralto by 170%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,554

$29.20 CHF 24.17

-57.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.6K

$114 CHF 94.2

-46.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,494

$16.59 CHF 13.73

-53.22%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,999

$5.15 CHF 4.26

-13.79%

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

$1.79 ₡806

$6.21 CHF 5.14

-71.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡582

$4.71 CHF 3.90

-72.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$9.46 CHF 7.83

-65.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,992

$7.74 CHF 6.41

-42.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡698

$1.96 CHF 1.62

-20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,385

$3.87 CHF 3.20

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,137

$3.75 CHF 3.11

-32.53%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,551

$7.68 CHF 6.36

-55.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,296

$27.36 CHF 22.64

-73.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,610

$28.87 CHF 23.89

-64.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,348

$35.86 CHF 29.68

-60.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,030

$3.82 CHF 3.16

-40.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡740

$2.06 CHF 1.70

-20.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,156

$2.55 CHF 2.11

87.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡738

$4.33 CHF 3.58

-62.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,733

$2.09 CHF 1.73

84.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,687

$2.01 CHF 1.67

86.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡489

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-57.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,164

$1.18 CHF 0.98

119.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,303

$9.67 CHF 8.00

-47.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,963

$11.58 CHF 9.58

72.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,260

$3.17 CHF 2.62

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,585

$3.26 CHF 2.70

7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡551

$4.14 CHF 3.43

-70.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.3K

$108 CHF 89.4

-31.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡977

$7.76 CHF 6.42

-72.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡700

$4.64 CHF 3.84

-66.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,900

$68.8 CHF 56.9

-87.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-28.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.4K CHF 31.0K

-7.70%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-3.15%

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

$94.8 ₡42.7K

$252 CHF 208

-62.34%

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

$36.15 ₡16.3K

$28.49 CHF 23.58

26.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.9K

$63.8 CHF 52.8

-16.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.2K

$97.5 CHF 80.7

-24.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$48.05 CHF 39.77

-25.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,560

$27.04 CHF 22.38

-70.75%

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

$490 ₡220.6K

$3,346 CHF 2,769

-85.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$27.8K CHF 23.0K

-57.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.7K

$152 CHF 126

-63.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.2K

$61.0 CHF 50.5

-8.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.2K

$172 CHF 142

-53.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$208 CHF 172

-62.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡360.4K

$1,746 CHF 1,445

-54.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡355.3K

$1,707 CHF 1,413

-53.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,536 CHF 2,099

57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡634.2K

$2,542 CHF 2,104

-44.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$15.7K CHF 13.0K

-55.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡556.2K

$10.9K CHF 9,026

-88.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡399.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.07

316.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Muralto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Muralto

$1.7K 46.7% 116% $917

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Muralto

$581 15.9% 66.3% $232

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Muralto

$452 12.4% 112% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Muralto

$344 9.4% 86.9% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Muralto

$267 7.3% 120% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Muralto

$152 4.1% 69.2% $62

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Muralto

$156 4.3% 75.3% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,746 in Muralto. 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 in Nosara versus $114 in Muralto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $581 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Muralto

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,700

💱 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 = 1.21 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Muralto 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Muralto

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 Muralto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $3,658 in Muralto – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $5,487 in Muralto. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $801 there versus $1,746 in Muralto.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $3,346 in Muralto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Muralto, 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 $1,835, than in Muralto at $3,658. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Muralto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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.

For expats, Nosara is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 99% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.