Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sala

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,530 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sala

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,530 in Sala, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sala $1,530

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,260 in Sala, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sala $2,260

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,989 in Sala, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sala $2,989

Nosara costs about 20% more than Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Sala sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Sala by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.75 SEK 116

5.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$58.6 SEK 581

4.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.45 SEK 93.6

-20.42%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.17 SEK 31.39

39.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.75 SEK 17.38

-0.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.15 SEK 21.35

-39.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.94 SEK 68.7

-52.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.93 SEK 68.7

-35.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.66 SEK 16.45

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.54 SEK 25.16

18.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.48 SEK 34.45

-27.87%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.29 SEK 52.5

-32.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.10 SEK 110

-33.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.95 SEK 128

-18.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$22.02 SEK 218

-36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.87 SEK 28.42

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.66 SEK 26.39

-39.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.59 SEK 25.65

85.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.79 SEK 47.50

-66.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.46 SEK 14.46

160.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.14 SEK 11.29

223.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.57 SEK 25.51

-56.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.01 SEK 10.02

163.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-24.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.10 SEK 60.5

225.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.89 SEK 18.76

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.76 SEK 17.47

106.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.90 SEK 28.75

-61.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$21.18 SEK 210

242.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.90 SEK 58.5

-63.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.69 SEK 16.73

-7.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$79.0 SEK 782

-89.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.73 SEK 17.13

-12.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.5K SEK 322.3K

-33.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

4.30%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$177 SEK 1,752

-45.53%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.96 SEK 198

79.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$38.76 SEK 384

38.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$45.97 SEK 456

55.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$20.24 SEK 201

72.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$16.13 SEK 160

-51.08%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$213 SEK 2,111

131.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,194 SEK 11.8K

893.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$44.45 SEK 440

21.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$34.80 SEK 345

59.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$51.9 SEK 514

50.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$54.0 SEK 535

47.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$705 SEK 6,989

11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$501 SEK 4,966

58.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$930 SEK 9,217

323.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$684 SEK 6,782

107.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,018 SEK 39.8K

72.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,838 SEK 28.1K

-56.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,422 SEK 24.0K

-64.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.8

207.86%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sala

$501 32.8% 36.9% $293

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sala

$360 23.5% 2.2% $7.9

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sala

$225 14.7% 6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sala

$236 15.4% 26.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sala

$83 5.4% 30.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sala

$78 5.1% 10.5% $9.1

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sala

$47 3.1% 45.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $705 in Sala. 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 181% higher in Sala, 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 $59.0 in Sala. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $360 in Sala – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

22,994

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sala 9,720 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,530 in Sala – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,295 in Sala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 243% less in Sala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $213 in Sala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sala, where all-in costs run around $1,530, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sala 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 $1,530 in Sala 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 Sala. 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.