Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Staefa

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $3,334 in Staefa, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Staefa $3,334

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $5,350 in Staefa, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Staefa $5,350

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $7,365 in Staefa, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Staefa $7,365

Nosara is about 45% cheaper than Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Staefa sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Staefa by 146%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$32.82 CHF 27.03

-62.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$121 CHF 99.3

-49.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$16.37 CHF 13.49

-52.60%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$6.22 CHF 5.12

-28.62%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$5.88 CHF 4.84

-69.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$5.00 CHF 4.12

-74.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$8.26 CHF 6.80

-60.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$8.41 CHF 6.93

-47.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-30.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$3.45 CHF 2.84

-10.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-32.89%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-58.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$26.91 CHF 22.17

-72.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$25.91 CHF 21.34

-60.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$55.2 CHF 45.46

-74.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-34.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-40.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.58 CHF 2.95

33.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.48 CHF 3.69

-63.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.49 CHF 2.05

54.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.28 CHF 1.88

64.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.48 CHF 2.05

-56.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.29 CHF 1.06

100.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$10.79 CHF 8.88

-52.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$13.68 CHF 11.27

45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.74 CHF 2.26

2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.21 CHF 2.64

9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-72.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$100 CHF 82.5

-26.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-70.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-67.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$87.0 CHF 71.7

-90.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-33.76%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-12.79%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

-1.86%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$236 CHF 194

-59.82%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$31.65 CHF 26.06

14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$56.5 CHF 46.52

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$79.0 CHF 65.1

-6.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$44.96 CHF 37.03

-20.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$22.08 CHF 18.18

-64.18%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$2,812 CHF 2,316

-82.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

-71.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$138 CHF 113

-60.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$59.9 CHF 49.37

-6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$147 CHF 121

-45.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$171 CHF 141

-54.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,581 CHF 1,302

-49.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,382 CHF 1,138

-42.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,894 CHF 2,383

38.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$2,779 CHF 2,289

-49.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

-59.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

-91.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.72

401.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4% 75% $592

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Staefa

$637 19.1% 82.1% $287

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Staefa

$488 14.6% 129% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Staefa

$324 9.7% 76.1% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Staefa

$232 7% 91.8% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Staefa

$123 3.7% 37.5% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Staefa

$149 4.5% 67.5% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,581 in Staefa. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $121 in Staefa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $637 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,567

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Staefa 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Staefa

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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $3,334 in Staefa – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $5,002 in Staefa. 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 35% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $2,812 in Staefa. 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 $1,835, than in Staefa at $3,334. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staefa 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $3,334 in Staefa. 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, Staefa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.