Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oulu and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Oulu and in Nosara: $1,892 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Oulu
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Oulu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Oulu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,892

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oulu and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oulu and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,892 per month in Oulu vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Oulu $1,892
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,931 per month in Oulu vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Oulu $2,931
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,971 per month in Oulu vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Oulu $3,971
Nosara $3,712

Oulu costs about 3% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oulu and Nosara sit above the global median – Oulu by 41%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.69

$12.22 ₡5,509

43.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

46.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.45

$7.54 ₡3,399

99.87%

Cappuccino

$5.05 €4.51

$4.31 ₡1,941

17.17%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.72 ₡773

69.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.35 ₡608

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 €7.09

$3.24 ₡1,459

145.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 €7.12

$4.48 ₡2,018

78.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.57 ₡707

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.17 ₡1,429

-30.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.42 ₡1,091

11.57%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.92

$3.57 ₡1,609

-8.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 €6.63

$7.43 ₡3,349

-0.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.52 €12.06

$10.42 ₡4,697

29.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.04 €20.56

$13.66 ₡6,156

68.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.32 ₡1,044

-4.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.61 ₡728

19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$4.74 ₡2,138

-55.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 €3.74

$1.66 ₡747

152.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 €0.89

$3.72 ₡1,679

-73.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.57 ₡1,611

-54.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.10 ₡497

136.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.55 ₡1,149

-36.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.90

$4.95 ₡2,232

169.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.38 €11.05

$20.01 ₡9,020

-38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.24

$2.79 ₡1,256

30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.53 ₡1,589

-12.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 €2.59

$1.19 ₡537

143.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.8 €56.9

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-11.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 €8.29

$2.24 ₡1,011

314.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.55 ₡701

8.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.51

$8.86 ₡3,993

526.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.57 ₡708

42.68%

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

$37.3K €33.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

71.04%

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

$36.9K €32.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

6.49%

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

$119 €107

$93.5 ₡42.1K

27.85%

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

$25.55 €22.80

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-27.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 €19.09

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-58.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.59 €31.76

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-50.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.16 €17.09

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-45.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.46 €15.58

$7.84 ₡3,535

122.70%

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

$360 €321

$490 ₡220.7K

-26.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 €81.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

71.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.80 €39.98

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-19.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.0

$79.3 ₡35.7K

38.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 €187

$78.9 ₡35.6K

165.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 €697

$786 ₡354.3K

-0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 €584

$780 ₡351.6K

-16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,158

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-66.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 €933

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-25.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,947 €3,522

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-43.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 €1,802

$1,201 ₡541.3K

68.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,524 €2,253

$876 ₡395.0K

188.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

8.62

-52.44%

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

Last update for Oulu: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oulu

$654 35%

Nosara

$780 43% 19.3% $126

Groceries & Markets

Oulu

$354 19%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1.4% $4.8

Eating Out

Oulu

$323 17.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 35.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Oulu

$205 11%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 41.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oulu

$166 8.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 8.2% $14

Getting Around

Oulu

$93 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Oulu

$71 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $781 in Oulu versus $786 in Nosara. 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 188% higher in Oulu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Oulu versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Oulu

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

19:37 7:37 PM

9 h behind Oulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,651

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oulu Nosara 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Oulu
Nosara

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

Oulu vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,892 in Oulu, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,838 per month in Oulu and $2,756 in Nosara. 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 13% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $360 per month in Oulu and $490 in Nosara. 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 $1,837, than in Oulu at $1,892. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oulu 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $1,892 in Oulu. 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, Oulu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.