Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Swords

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $2,598 in Swords, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Swords $2,598

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $3,804 in Swords, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Swords $3,804

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $5,010 in Swords, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Swords $5,010

Nosara is about 29% cheaper than Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Swords sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Swords by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$22.16 €19.91

-44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$98.6 €88.6

-38.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$13.20 €11.86

-40.30%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.93 €4.43

-10.75%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.98 €2.68

-42.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$2.16 €1.94

-37.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$8.03 €7.21

-58.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$6.74 €6.05

-32.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.58 €1.42

3.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.35 €2.11

34.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.03 €1.83

17.73%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$4.24 €3.81

-18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$9.89 €8.89

-27.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$10.86 €9.76

-4.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$13.29 €11.94

5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$2.75 €2.47

-16.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$2.27 €2.04

-28.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$2.79 €2.51

72.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.17 €3.75

-59.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.87 €1.68

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$1.47 €1.33

146.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.90 €1.70

38.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$20.52 €18.44

-75.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$13.39 €12.03

47.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$3.35 €3.01

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$3.45 €3.10

2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$2.26 €2.03

-46.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$5.00 €4.49

-57.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.47 €1.32

10.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$37.35 €33.55

-76.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$2.16 €1.94

-28.24%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$38.6K €34.7K

-12.17%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$38.0K €34.1K

1.27%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$246 €221

-61.35%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$18.68 €16.78

94.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$51.2 €45.97

1.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$40.58 €36.46

66.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$13.43 €12.07

-43.86%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$1,010 €907

-50.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$5,183 €4,656

127.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$100 €90.0

-44.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$48.06 €43.18

16.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$108 €97.1

-28.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$113 €101

-29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,556 €1,398

-47.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,342 €1,206

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,584 €2,322

54.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$2,165 €1,945

-33.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$4,721 €4,242

49.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$3,447 €3,097

-65.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.68

134.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 66.5% $536

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Swords

$335 12.9% 4.7% $17

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Swords

$350 13.5% 64.2% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Swords

$316 12.2% 72.3% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Swords

$166 6.4% 37.7% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 76% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Swords

$67 2.6% 18.4% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,556 in Swords. 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 $99 in Swords. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Nosara vs $335 in Swords – so Swords wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

40,776

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Swords 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $2,598 in Swords – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $3,897 in Swords. 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 $817 there versus $1,556 in Swords.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $99 in Swords. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Swords – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $2,598 in Swords, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.