Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skelleftea and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,961 in Skelleftea, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Skelleftea despite lower rent and utilities.

Skelleftea
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,961
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,961 per month in Skelleftea vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Skelleftea $1,961
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,962 per month in Skelleftea vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Skelleftea $2,962
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,964 per month in Skelleftea vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Skelleftea $3,964
  • Nosara $3,818

Skelleftea costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Skelleftea and Nosara sit above the global median – Skelleftea by 45%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.89 SEK 157
$12.35 ₡5,539
28.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.2 SEK 775
$61.2 ₡27.4K
27.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.16 SEK 130
$7.52 ₡3,373
75.00%
Cappuccino
$4.65 SEK 46.09
$4.41 ₡1,978
5.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 SEK 25.38
$1.74 ₡780
47.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 SEK 22.75
$1.31 ₡587
75.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.88 SEK 78.1
$3.28 ₡1,471
140.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.69 SEK 76.2
$4.47 ₡2,004
72.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 SEK 15.76
$1.56 ₡701
1.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.47 SEK 24.43
$3.02 ₡1,355
-18.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.91 SEK 48.67
$2.51 ₡1,125
95.62%
Eggs
$5.14 SEK 51.0
$3.57 ₡1,603
43.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.90 SEK 108
$7.43 ₡3,333
46.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.78 SEK 107
$10.52 ₡4,717
2.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.10 SEK 239
$13.97 ₡6,265
72.51%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 SEK 31.45
$2.35 ₡1,052
34.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.40 SEK 23.80
$1.61 ₡720
49.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.07 SEK 30.42
$4.80 ₡2,152
-36.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.56 SEK 35.25
$1.61 ₡724
121.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 SEK 22.17
$3.80 ₡1,703
-41.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 SEK 16.01
$3.69 ₡1,657
-56.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 SEK 22.58
$1.13 ₡507
101.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 SEK 15.52
$2.66 ₡1,191
-40.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.34 SEK 72.8
$5.18 ₡2,321
41.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.00 SEK 149
$19.88 ₡8,916
-24.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 SEK 16.90
$2.90 ₡1,300
-41.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 SEK 15.72
$3.63 ₡1,626
-56.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.78 SEK 27.53
$1.12 ₡504
148.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.6 SEK 511
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-28.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.83 SEK 77.6
$2.14 ₡958
265.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.73 SEK 17.13
$1.57 ₡703
10.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$58.9 SEK 583
$8.52 ₡3,823
591.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 SEK 17.00
$1.52 ₡682
13.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.9K SEK 326.1K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
52.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K SEK 319.5K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-6.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 SEK 1,017
$96.3 ₡43.2K
6.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.24 SEK 329
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-7.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.7 SEK 513
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-3.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.65 SEK 373
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-47.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.55 SEK 253
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-26.81%
Cinema Ticket
$14.79 SEK 147
$7.89 ₡3,539
87.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$140 SEK 1,388
$494 ₡221.6K
-71.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,481 SEK 54.3K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-53.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.8 SEK 940
$53.9 ₡24.2K
75.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.10 SEK 387
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-29.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.9 SEK 781
$77.9 ₡34.9K
1.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 SEK 1,515
$79.6 ₡35.7K
92.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,127 SEK 11.2K
$788 ₡353.4K
42.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$786 SEK 7,792
$794 ₡356.2K
-1.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,588 SEK 15.7K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-59.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,195 SEK 11.8K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-15.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,005 SEK 39.7K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-42.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,822 SEK 28.0K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
130.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Skelleftea
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,556 SEK 25.3K
$864 ₡387.3K
195.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.9
8.62
-54.76%

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

Last update for Skelleftea: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Skelleftea
$786
Nosara
$794 1% $8
Groceries & Markets
Skelleftea
$380
Nosara
$352 7.2% $27
Eating Out
Skelleftea
$297
Nosara
$212 28.6% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Skelleftea
$188
Nosara
$186 1% $1.9
Clothing & Footwear
Skelleftea
$165
Nosara
$120 27% $44
Getting Around
Skelleftea
$79
Nosara
$87 10% $7.9
Sport & Entertainment
Skelleftea
$67
Nosara
$87 30% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,127 in Skelleftea 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 196% higher in Skelleftea, 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 $78.0 in Skelleftea versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Skelleftea
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
15:38 3:38 PM
07:38 7:38 AM
8 h behind Skelleftea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
32,775
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Skelleftea Nosara 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Skelleftea
  • 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
Skelleftea vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Skelleftea and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,961 in Skelleftea, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Skelleftea compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,942 per month in Skelleftea and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Skelleftea and Nosara?
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.
How do commuting costs compare in Skelleftea and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 41% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Skelleftea and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $140 per month in Skelleftea and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Skelleftea at $1,961. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skelleftea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Skelleftea and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $1,961 in Skelleftea. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Skelleftea or Nosara 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 Skelleftea and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skelleftea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Skelleftea vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?