Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,632 per month in St. Gallen vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Gallen $3,632
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,284 per month in St. Gallen vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Gallen $5,284
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,937 per month in St. Gallen vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Gallen $6,937
Nosara $3,712

St. Gallen costs about 98% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Gallen and Nosara sit above the global median – St. Gallen by 171%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.41 CHF 24.41

$12.22 ₡5,509

140.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 121

$60.2 ₡27.1K

141.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.82 CHF 14.79

$7.54 ₡3,399

136.34%

Cappuccino

$5.99 CHF 4.97

$4.31 ₡1,941

38.98%

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

$5.81 CHF 4.83

$1.72 ₡773

237.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.42

$1.35 ₡608

294.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 CHF 7.66

$3.24 ₡1,459

184.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.12

$4.48 ₡2,018

37.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$1.57 ₡707

42.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$3.17 ₡1,429

0.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.06

$2.42 ₡1,091

52.07%

Eggs

$7.68 CHF 6.37

$3.57 ₡1,609

115.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.41 CHF 21.09

$7.43 ₡3,349

241.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.97 CHF 24.05

$10.42 ₡4,697

178.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.85 CHF 32.25

$13.66 ₡6,156

184.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CHF 2.62

$2.32 ₡1,044

36.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$4.74 ₡2,138

-51.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 CHF 4.99

$1.66 ₡747

262.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.41

$3.72 ₡1,679

-54.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.80

$3.57 ₡1,611

-39.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$1.10 ₡497

96.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.98

$2.55 ₡1,149

-53.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.84

$4.95 ₡2,232

115.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 CHF 9.39

$20.01 ₡9,020

-43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 CHF 1.81

$2.79 ₡1,256

-21.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$3.53 ₡1,589

-34.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 CHF 3.46

$1.19 ₡537

250.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 CHF 106

$72.1 ₡32.5K

77.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 CHF 5.51

$2.24 ₡1,011

196.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.79 CHF 3.98

$1.55 ₡701

209.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.3 CHF 64.2

$8.86 ₡3,993

772.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$1.57 ₡708

41.40%

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

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

61.99%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

13.92%

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

$305 CHF 253

$93.5 ₡42.1K

226.45%

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

$38.46 CHF 31.92

$35.11 ₡15.8K

9.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CHF 44.95

$51.5 ₡23.2K

5.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CHF 67.0

$71.4 ₡32.2K

13.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$30.32 CHF 25.16

$7.84 ₡3,535

286.73%

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

$2,308 CHF 1,915

$490 ₡220.7K

371.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

167.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 CHF 122

$53.5 ₡24.1K

173.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.6 CHF 53.7

$55.8 ₡25.1K

15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 122

$79.3 ₡35.7K

85.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 CHF 148

$78.9 ₡35.6K

126.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 CHF 1,439

$786 ₡354.3K

120.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 CHF 1,410

$780 ₡351.6K

117.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,854 CHF 2,369

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-26.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 CHF 1,787

$1,407 ₡634.4K

53.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

73.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,070 CHF 7,528

$1,201 ₡541.3K

655.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,528 CHF 5,418

$876 ₡395.0K

644.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

8.62

-75.64%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46%

Nosara

$780 43% 54.1% $919

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$572 15.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 38.9% $223

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$464 12.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 54.8% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$398 10.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 54.7% $218

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$242 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 50.2% $121

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$176 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 50.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$141 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,734 in St. Gallen 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 645% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $145 in St. Gallen versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $572 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

04:13 4:13 AM

8 h behind St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

4,912

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Gallen Nosara 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Gallen
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

St. Gallen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,632 in St. Gallen, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,447 per month in St. Gallen 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 78% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,308 per month in St. Gallen 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 St. Gallen at $3,632. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Gallen 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 $3,632 in St. Gallen. 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, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.