Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Varnamo: $1,692 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Varnamo

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,692 in Varnamo, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Varnamo $1,692

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,672 in Varnamo, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Varnamo $2,672

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,652 in Varnamo, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Varnamo $3,652

Nosara costs about 9% more than Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Nosara and Varnamo sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Varnamo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$13.01 SEK 129

-5.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$89.7 SEK 893

-32.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$12.23 SEK 122

-35.57%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.68 SEK 46.56

-5.98%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.72 SEK 27.05

-36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$2.13 SEK 21.19

-37.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$7.81 SEK 77.7

-57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$7.08 SEK 70.5

-35.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.71 SEK 17.06

-4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.50 SEK 24.86

26.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$3.54 SEK 35.27

-32.49%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$4.63 SEK 46.06

-25.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$12.57 SEK 125

-43.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$11.73 SEK 117

-12.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$15.69 SEK 156

-10.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$3.11 SEK 30.98

-26.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$2.55 SEK 25.37

-36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$2.82 SEK 28.05

70.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.52 SEK 44.98

-62.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.72 SEK 17.16

127.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$1.41 SEK 14.05

157.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.57 SEK 25.58

-56.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.52 SEK 15.17

73.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$7.81 SEK 77.8

-35.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$11.14 SEK 111

76.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.93 SEK 19.26

50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.64 SEK 26.31

34.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$3.19 SEK 31.77

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$74.7 SEK 744

-1.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$5.04 SEK 50.2

-57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.08 SEK 10.73

50.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$41.06 SEK 409

-78.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.72 SEK 17.11

-9.88%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$33.6K SEK 334.2K

0.92%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$34.2K SEK 340.8K

12.35%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$77.0 SEK 766

23.73%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$17.22 SEK 171

110.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$30.45 SEK 303

70.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$39.03 SEK 388

73.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$22.33 SEK 222

59.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$15.36 SEK 153

-50.91%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$157 SEK 1,561

216.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$4,450 SEK 44.3K

164.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$80.4 SEK 800

-31.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$56.8 SEK 565

-1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$99.9 SEK 994

-22.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$123 SEK 1,226

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$794 SEK 7,906

2.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$612 SEK 6,087

31.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

238.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$985 SEK 9,800

45.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

75.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$2,853 SEK 28.4K

-58.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

-56.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.03

184.49%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 24.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 1.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 26.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 32.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 34.4% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 10.1% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 15.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $794 in Varnamo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varnamo are about 2.3 times higher, 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 in Nosara versus $90 in Varnamo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $357 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

17:36 5:36 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,778

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Varnamo 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,692 in Varnamo – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,538 in Varnamo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $817 in Nosara and $794 in Varnamo. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $157 in Varnamo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $1,692 in Varnamo. That’s a gap of about 9%.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $1,692 in Varnamo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Varnamo – 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.