Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stabio and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,425 in Stabio, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Stabio
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Stabio Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stabio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,425

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,425 per month in Stabio vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Stabio $3,425
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $5,492 per month in Stabio vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Stabio $5,492
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $7,560 per month in Stabio vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Stabio $7,560
Nosara $3,814

Stabio costs about 87% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stabio and Nosara sit above the global median – Stabio by 153%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.94 CHF 28.78

$12.34 ₡5,535

183.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$177 CHF 146

$61.3 ₡27.5K

189.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.37 CHF 15.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

149.61%

Cappuccino

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$4.44 ₡1,992

8.33%

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

$5.54 CHF 4.57

$1.79 ₡803

209.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$1.29 ₡580

238.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.66 CHF 7.96

$3.24 ₡1,451

198.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.30 CHF 6.01

$4.43 ₡1,985

64.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.55 ₡696

39.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 CHF 3.02

$3.08 ₡1,380

19.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 CHF 3.48

$2.53 ₡1,133

66.80%

Eggs

$7.01 CHF 5.77

$3.45 ₡1,546

103.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.24 CHF 21.61

$7.32 ₡3,284

258.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.39 CHF 23.38

$10.24 ₡4,594

177.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.68 CHF 32.68

$14.10 ₡6,326

181.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$2.29 ₡1,027

46.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$1.64 ₡737

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$4.79 ₡2,149

-46.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$1.64 ₡735

229.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.47

$3.85 ₡1,727

-53.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 CHF 1.71

$3.75 ₡1,681

-44.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.09 ₡488

109.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.01

$2.59 ₡1,160

-52.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.93

$5.12 ₡2,295

111.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 CHF 11.88

$19.92 ₡8,931

-27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.48

$2.80 ₡1,255

7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 CHF 3.21

$3.52 ₡1,580

10.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$1.22 ₡549

222.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 CHF 94.8

$73.9 ₡33.1K

55.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.18 CHF 5.92

$2.17 ₡973

230.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.71 CHF 4.70

$1.56 ₡698

266.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.82 CHF 30.32

$8.67 ₡3,886

324.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$1.55 ₡697

50.32%

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

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.20%

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

$40.0K CHF 32.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

3.14%

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

$284 CHF 234

$94.8 ₡42.5K

199.53%

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

$25.68 CHF 21.15

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-28.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.18 CHF 40.51

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-7.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 CHF 83.6

$73.8 ₡33.1K

37.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.09 CHF 39.61

$35.63 ₡16.0K

34.97%

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 CHF 17.60

$7.91 ₡3,548

170.16%

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

$3,227 CHF 2,658

$490 ₡219.9K

558.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K CHF 28.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

193.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.4

$54.8 ₡24.6K

98.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.00 CHF 40.36

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-12.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 CHF 126

$80.4 ₡36.0K

90.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 CHF 137

$77.9 ₡34.9K

113.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 CHF 1,481

$801 ₡359.1K

124.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 CHF 1,194

$790 ₡354.1K

83.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,344 CHF 2,754

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-16.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 CHF 2,247

$1,409 ₡632.0K

93.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.5K CHF 13.6K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

133.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.8K CHF 10.5K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

935.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

8.62

-77.96%

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

Last update for Stabio: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stabio

$1.4K 42.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 45.5% $660

Groceries & Markets

Stabio

$592 17.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 40.9% $242

Eating Out

Stabio

$498 14.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 57.3% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stabio

$359 10.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 48.7% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Stabio

$215 6.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 43.7% $94

Getting Around

Stabio

$167 4.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 46.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Stabio

$144 4.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 37.9% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,798 in Stabio versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Stabio versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $592 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Stabio

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

8 h behind Stabio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

4,912

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stabio Nosara 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Stabio
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

Stabio vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,425 in Stabio, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 87% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,137 per month in Stabio and $2,753 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 56% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,227 per month in Stabio 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 $1,835, than in Stabio at $3,425. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stabio 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $3,425 in Stabio. 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, Stabio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.