Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Vaxjo

For one person, living is cheaper in Vaxjo: $1,631 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Vaxjo
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,631
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Vaxjo

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,631 in Vaxjo, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Vaxjo $1,631

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,467 in Vaxjo, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Vaxjo $2,467

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,303 in Vaxjo, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Vaxjo $3,303

Nosara costs about 13% more than Vaxjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Vaxjo sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Vaxjo by 21%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$13.37 SEK 132
-7.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$63.6 SEK 630
-3.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$9.82 SEK 97.3
-23.42%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$4.07 SEK 40.29
8.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.52 SEK 15.06
14.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.30 SEK 12.88
0.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$6.70 SEK 66.4
-51.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$6.40 SEK 63.4
-30.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.74 SEK 17.25
-10.34%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$2.49 SEK 24.64
21.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$3.81 SEK 37.72
-34.12%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$4.56 SEK 45.18
-21.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$13.27 SEK 131
-44.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$10.55 SEK 105
-0.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$12.01 SEK 119
16.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$3.13 SEK 31.05
-24.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$2.00 SEK 19.83
-19.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.04 SEK 20.24
135.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$4.61 SEK 45.64
-65.08%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.40 SEK 13.90
171.43%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.55 SEK 15.39
138.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$2.19 SEK 21.71
-48.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$1.37 SEK 13.54
94.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$6.86 SEK 68.0
-24.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$7.62 SEK 75.5
160.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.91 SEK 18.91
51.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$1.56 SEK 15.45
132.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$3.17 SEK 31.38
-64.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$64.8 SEK 642
12.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$7.97 SEK 79.0
-73.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.95 SEK 19.28
-19.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$78.8 SEK 780
-89.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.75 SEK 17.34
-13.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$32.7K SEK 324.5K
-34.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$32.6K SEK 323.4K
5.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$90.1 SEK 893
6.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$29.97 SEK 297
19.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$30.98 SEK 307
72.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$35.44 SEK 351
102.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$20.01 SEK 198
74.46%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$15.63 SEK 155
-49.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$150 SEK 1,483
230.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$97.6 SEK 967
-44.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$30.45 SEK 302
81.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$68.4 SEK 678
13.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$84.9 SEK 841
-6.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$794 SEK 7,867
-0.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$625 SEK 6,192
27.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,499 SEK 14.8K
162.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$939 SEK 9,304
51.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$2,507 SEK 24.8K
-51.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Vaxjo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$3,172 SEK 31.4K
-72.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
4.13
108.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vaxjo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Vaxjo
$625 21.3% $169
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Vaxjo
$324 8.1% $29
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Vaxjo
$243 14.6% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Vaxjo
$151 18.7% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Vaxjo
$127 5.4% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Vaxjo
$67 23.7% $21
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Vaxjo
$95 9.3% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $794 in Vaxjo. 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 267% higher in Vaxjo, 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 $64.0 in Vaxjo. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $324 in Vaxjo – so Vaxjo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇸🇪 Vaxjo
🕒 Local time
17:04 5:04 PM
01:04 1:04 AM
8 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
55,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Vaxjo 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Vaxjo

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 Vaxjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Vaxjo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,631 in Vaxjo – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Vaxjo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,446 in Vaxjo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and Vaxjo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Vaxjo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Nosara and in Vaxjo?
Public transport costs about 12% less in Vaxjo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nosara and Vaxjo?
Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $150 in Vaxjo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vaxjo, where all-in costs run around $1,631, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vaxjo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Vaxjo?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,631 in Vaxjo to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Vaxjo safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Vaxjo?
If budget matters most, go with Vaxjo. 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.

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