Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,441 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,441 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Saint-Etienne $1,441

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,272 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Saint-Etienne $2,272

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,103 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Saint-Etienne $3,103

Nosara costs about 28% more than Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Saint-Etienne sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Saint-Etienne by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.72 €14.88

-26.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$56.6 €50.4

8.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.48 €11.99

-44.21%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.03 €1.81

117.24%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.45 €3.07

-49.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.62 €1.44

-19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.11 €4.55

-35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.52 €4.91

-19.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.31 €1.17

19.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.14 €1.01

164.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.17 €1.93

15.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.04 €2.71

17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.41 €15.49

-57.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.94 €9.73

-3.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$16.43 €14.61

-14.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.43 €3.05

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.61 €2.32

-38.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.43 €2.17

97.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.83 €2.52

-43.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.60 €1.42

137.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.71 €1.52

115.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.13 €1.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.24 €2.00

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$12.22 €10.87

-57.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.11 €8.99

96.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.44 €3.06

-15.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.39 €3.02

7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.81 €1.61

-38.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$39.38 €35.03

84.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.71 €2.41

-21.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.07 €1.84

-26.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.9K €17.7K

8.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.5K €28.9K

6.14%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$168 €150

-42.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$29.15 €25.93

23.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$18.79 €16.71

185.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$30.48 €27.11

134.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.63 €5.90

426.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.90 €8.80

-20.30%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$984 €875

-49.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$15.8K €14.0K

-24.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$70.6 €62.8

-23.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.10 €26.77

84.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$103 €91.9

-24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$154 €137

-48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$526 €468

49.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$367 €326

116.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$883 €786

346.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$713 €634

98.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,679 €1,494

311.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,631 €1,451

-24.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,205 €1,961

-60.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.67

134.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5% 53.8% $427

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7% 2.9% $10

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7% 20.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Saint-Etienne

$216 15% 16.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2% 34% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 42.5% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4% 43.4% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $526 in Saint-Etienne. 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 155% higher in Saint-Etienne, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $57.0 in Saint-Etienne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $342 – making Saint-Etienne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

06:11 6:11 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

172,718

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Saint-Etienne 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,441 in Saint-Etienne – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,162 in Saint-Etienne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Etienne, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Saint-Etienne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $984 in Saint-Etienne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Etienne, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Saint-Etienne it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,441 in Saint-Etienne to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Saint-Etienne. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.