Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sion

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $3,235 in Sion, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sion $3,235

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $4,857 in Sion, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sion $4,857

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $6,479 in Sion, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sion $6,479

Nosara is about 43% cheaper than Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Sion sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Sion by 140%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$28.97 CHF 23.86

-57.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$89.6 CHF 73.8

-31.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$19.15 CHF 15.77

-60.73%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-4.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-65.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$4.28 CHF 3.52

-69.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$7.36 CHF 6.06

-55.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$7.29 CHF 6.00

-38.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.19 CHF 3.45

-40.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.13 CHF 5.87

-49.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$26.01 CHF 21.42

-71.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$22.69 CHF 18.69

-53.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$40.09 CHF 33.02

-65.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.15 CHF 2.59

-25.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.53 CHF 2.09

89.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.20 CHF 5.11

-74.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.85 CHF 1.53

105.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.16 CHF 1.78

70.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-53.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.17 CHF 0.97

127.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.85 CHF 8.94

-52.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.25 CHF 11.74

39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.76 CHF 1.45

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.91 CHF 1.57

90.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$5.24 CHF 4.32

-78.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$179 CHF 148

-59.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-63.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-70.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$48.12 CHF 39.63

-82.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-31.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

-36.89%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

-8.26%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$308 CHF 254

-68.76%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.86 CHF 20.48

44.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$49.64 CHF 40.89

7.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$135 CHF 111

-46.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$54.5 CHF 44.88

-35.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$20.28 CHF 16.70

-61.09%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$953 CHF 785

-48.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-68.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$109 CHF 89.7

-50.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.21 CHF 39.71

14.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$161 CHF 133

-51.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$165 CHF 136

-51.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,221 CHF 1,005

-35.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,240 CHF 1,021

-35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,323 CHF 1,913

69.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,072 CHF 1,707

-31.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$7,339 CHF 6,045

-5.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,532 CHF 4,556

-77.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$5,826 CHF 4,798

-85.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.15

300.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sion

$1.2K 38.3% 56.1% $446

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sion

$554 17.1% 57.2% $201

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sion

$433 13.4% 105% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sion

$383 11.8% 106% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sion

$217 6.7% 81% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sion

$175 5.4% 101% $88

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sion

$233 7.2% 167% $146

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,221 in Sion. 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 575% higher in Sion, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $90.0 in Sion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $554 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

34,599

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sion 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $3,235 in Sion – roughly 76% 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 $4,853 in Sion. 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.

Public transport costs about 147% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $953 in Sion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Sion at $3,235. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sion 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $3,235 in Sion. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.