Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sundsvall and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sundsvall: $1,722 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Sundsvall
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,722
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,722 per month in Sundsvall vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Sundsvall $1,722
  • Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,622 per month in Sundsvall vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Sundsvall $2,622
  • Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,523 per month in Sundsvall vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Sundsvall $3,523
  • Nosara $3,712

Sundsvall is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sundsvall and Nosara sit above the global median – Sundsvall by 28%, Nosara by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.99 SEK 150
$12.22 ₡5,509
22.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.2 SEK 812
$60.2 ₡27.1K
34.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.97 SEK 110
$7.54 ₡3,399
45.49%
Cappuccino
$4.56 SEK 45.58
$4.31 ₡1,941
5.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 SEK 23.97
$1.72 ₡773
39.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 SEK 18.35
$1.35 ₡608
36.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.55 SEK 85.5
$3.24 ₡1,459
163.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.62 SEK 76.1
$4.48 ₡2,018
70.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 SEK 14.91
$1.57 ₡707
-5.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.95 SEK 29.48
$3.17 ₡1,429
-6.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.47 SEK 34.66
$2.42 ₡1,091
43.39%
Eggs
$3.40 SEK 34.02
$3.57 ₡1,609
-4.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 SEK 92.8
$7.43 ₡3,349
25.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.63 SEK 96.3
$10.42 ₡4,697
-7.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.36 SEK 174
$13.66 ₡6,156
27.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 SEK 26.10
$2.32 ₡1,044
12.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 SEK 23.05
$1.61 ₡728
43.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.43 SEK 24.31
$4.74 ₡2,138
-48.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.00 SEK 40.01
$1.66 ₡747
140.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 SEK 14.02
$3.72 ₡1,679
-62.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.35 SEK 13.47
$3.57 ₡1,611
-62.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 SEK 17.75
$1.10 ₡497
61.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 SEK 9.43
$2.55 ₡1,149
-63.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.34 SEK 73.3
$4.95 ₡2,232
48.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.00 SEK 90.0
$20.01 ₡9,020
-55.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 SEK 17.04
$2.79 ₡1,256
-38.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 SEK 13.77
$3.53 ₡1,589
-60.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.24 SEK 32.35
$1.19 ₡537
172.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$84.1 SEK 840
$72.1 ₡32.5K
16.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.08 SEK 60.8
$2.24 ₡1,011
171.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.81 SEK 58.1
$1.55 ₡701
274.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.86 ₡3,993
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 SEK 16.55
$1.57 ₡708
5.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.1K SEK 311.1K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
42.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K SEK 300.9K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-13.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.6 SEK 996
$93.5 ₡42.1K
6.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.61 SEK 286
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-18.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.42 SEK 364
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-29.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.61 SEK 406
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-43.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.70 SEK 157
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-55.70%
Cinema Ticket
$13.86 SEK 139
$7.84 ₡3,535
76.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$134 SEK 1,340
$490 ₡220.7K
-72.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.4M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.2 SEK 921
$53.5 ₡24.1K
72.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.76 SEK 197
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-64.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.3 SEK 672
$79.3 ₡35.7K
-15.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 SEK 1,228
$78.9 ₡35.6K
55.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$659 SEK 6,583
$786 ₡354.3K
-16.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$591 SEK 5,908
$780 ₡351.6K
-24.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 SEK 11.8K
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-69.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$877 SEK 8,767
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-37.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,411 SEK 24.1K
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-65.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,689 SEK 16.9K
$1,201 ₡541.3K
40.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sundsvall
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,993 SEK 29.9K
$876 ₡395.0K
241.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.88
8.62
-54.99%

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

Last update for Sundsvall: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sundsvall
$591
Nosara
$780 31.9% $189
Groceries & Markets
Sundsvall
$311
Nosara
$350 12.3% $38
Eating Out
Sundsvall
$282
Nosara
$209 25.9% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sundsvall
$165
Nosara
$180 9.3% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Sundsvall
$136
Nosara
$120 11.5% $16
Getting Around
Sundsvall
$132
Nosara
$87 34.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Sundsvall
$68
Nosara
$87 27.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sundsvall 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 242% higher in Sundsvall, 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 $81.0 in Sundsvall versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $311 in Sundsvall vs $350 in Nosara – so Sundsvall wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Sundsvall
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
12:18 12:18 PM
04:18 4:18 AM
8 h behind Sundsvall
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
57,606
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sundsvall Nosara 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sundsvall
  • 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
Sundsvall vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sundsvall and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,722 in Sundsvall, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Sundsvall compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,582 per month in Sundsvall and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Sundsvall and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sundsvall, 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 Sundsvall and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Sundsvall. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Sundsvall and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $134 per month in Sundsvall and $490 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 Sundsvall, where all-in costs run around $1,722, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sundsvall it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Sundsvall and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,722 in Sundsvall to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Sundsvall 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 Sundsvall and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Sundsvall. 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.

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