Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,441 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint-Etienne 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 Saint-Etienne and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,441
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,272 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,272
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,103 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,103
Nosara $3,818

Saint-Etienne is about 22% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint-Etienne and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint-Etienne by 7%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.88

$12.35 ₡5,539

35.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-7.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$7.52 ₡3,373

79.26%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.81

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.97%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.74 ₡780

98.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.31 ₡587

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$3.28 ₡1,471

55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

23.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.56 ₡701

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.51 ₡1,125

-13.55%

Eggs

$3.04 €2.71

$3.57 ₡1,603

-14.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 €15.49

$7.43 ₡3,333

134.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 €9.73

$10.52 ₡4,717

3.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 €14.61

$13.97 ₡6,265

17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.35 ₡1,052

45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.61 ₡720

62.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$4.80 ₡2,152

-49.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.61 ₡724

75.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.66 ₡1,191

-15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 €10.87

$5.18 ₡2,321

135.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 €8.99

$19.88 ₡8,916

-49.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.90 ₡1,300

18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.63 ₡1,626

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.12 ₡504

61.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.38 €35.03

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-45.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.14 ₡958

26.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.52 ₡682

36.18%

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

$19.9K €17.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-7.69%

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

$32.5K €28.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.78%

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

$168 €150

$96.3 ₡43.2K

74.84%

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

$29.15 €25.93

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-18.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 €16.71

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-64.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.48 €27.11

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-57.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.63 €5.90

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-81.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.48%

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

$984 €875

$494 ₡221.6K

99.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

32.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 €62.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

30.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.10 €26.77

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

32.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$79.6 ₡35.7K

92.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 €468

$788 ₡353.4K

-33.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 €326

$794 ₡356.2K

-53.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 €786

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-49.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,679 €1,494

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-75.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 €1,451

$1,224 ₡549.0K

33.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,205 €1,961

$864 ₡387.3K

155.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

8.62

-57.42%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 116% $427

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.9% $10

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$216 15%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 73.8% $37

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 76.7% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Saint-Etienne versus $788 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 155% higher in Saint-Etienne, 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 $57.0 in Saint-Etienne versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $352 – making Saint-Etienne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

20:30 8:30 PM

8 h behind Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint-Etienne Nosara 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
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

Saint-Etienne vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,441 in Saint-Etienne, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,162 per month in Saint-Etienne and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 84% less in Saint-Etienne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $984 per month in Saint-Etienne and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Etienne, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Saint-Etienne 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 $1,441 in Saint-Etienne to $1,839 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 Saint-Etienne. 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.