Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Varberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,648 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Varberg

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,648 in Varberg, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Varberg $1,648

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,641 in Varberg, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Varberg $2,641

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,635 in Varberg, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Varberg $3,635

Nosara costs about 11% more than Varberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nosara and Varberg sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Varberg by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$15.26 SEK 151

-19.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$75.9 SEK 752

-19.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$10.34 SEK 102

-24.95%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.80 SEK 37.70

16.84%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.13 SEK 11.16

58.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.05 SEK 10.40

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$6.17 SEK 61.1

-47.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$7.75 SEK 76.8

-42.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.50 SEK 14.85

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.88 SEK 28.58

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$3.46 SEK 34.30

-26.88%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.11 SEK 40.72

-16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$13.20 SEK 131

-44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.23 SEK 111

-8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$20.15 SEK 200

-30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.93 SEK 28.99

-21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.49 SEK 24.62

-34.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.09 SEK 30.60

55.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.23 SEK 41.89

-61.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.55 SEK 15.36

148.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.56 SEK 15.46

140.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.57 SEK 25.43

-57.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.04 SEK 10.28

149.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$6.66 SEK 66.0

-23.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.21 SEK 101

95.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.96 SEK 19.46

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.24 SEK 12.32

183.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.86 SEK 28.38

-57.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$78.1 SEK 774

-5.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$5.15 SEK 51.0

-57.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.40 SEK 23.75

-35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$49.91 SEK 495

-82.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.81 SEK 17.94

-14.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.4K SEK 331.0K

3.43%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.4K SEK 341.0K

12.61%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$140 SEK 1,390

-32.39%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$19.77 SEK 196

82.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$30.07 SEK 298

76.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$39.66 SEK 393

86.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$40.53 SEK 402

-12.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$16.16 SEK 160

-51.05%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$152 SEK 1,505

222.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,359 SEK 33.3K

253.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$70.7 SEK 700

-22.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$40.44 SEK 401

38.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$113 SEK 1,115

-28.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$151 SEK 1,498

-48.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$791 SEK 7,839

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$500 SEK 4,956

57.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,195 SEK 11.8K

235.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$924 SEK 9,152

52.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$6,614 SEK 65.5K

6.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$3,563 SEK 35.3K

-65.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$3,170 SEK 31.4K

-72.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.9

353.68%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Varberg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Varberg

$500 30.4% 36.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Varberg

$357 21.6% 2% $6.9

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Varberg

$254 15.4% 19.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Varberg

$190 11.5% 3.3% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Varberg

$169 10.2% 39.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Varberg

$72 4.4% 19.7% $18

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Varberg

$107 6.5% 20.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $791 in Varberg. 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 258% higher in Varberg, 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 $76.0 in Varberg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $357 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇪 Varberg

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

27,602

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 Varberg 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Varberg

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 Varberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,648 in Varberg – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,472 in Varberg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 6% less in Varberg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $152 in Varberg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varberg, where all-in costs run around $1,648, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Varberg 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 $1,648 in Varberg to $1,835 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 Varberg. 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.