Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thonon-les-Bains and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Thonon-les-Bains and in Nosara: $1,764 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

Thonon-les-Bains
🇫🇷 France
$1,764
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,764 per month in Thonon-les-Bains vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Thonon-les-Bains $1,764
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,685 per month in Thonon-les-Bains vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Thonon-les-Bains $2,685
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,605 per month in Thonon-les-Bains vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Thonon-les-Bains $3,605
  • Nosara $3,818

Thonon-les-Bains is about 4% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thonon-les-Bains and Nosara sit above the global median – Thonon-les-Bains by 31%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.77 €14.96
$12.35 ₡5,547
35.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.2 €50.2
$61.2 ₡27.5K
-8.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.32 €11.88
$7.52 ₡3,377
77.13%
Cappuccino
$4.16 €3.71
$4.41 ₡1,981
-5.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 €2.44
$1.74 ₡781
57.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 €1.60
$1.31 ₡588
36.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.94 €7.08
$3.28 ₡1,473
142.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.16 €5.50
$4.47 ₡2,007
37.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 €1.39
$1.56 ₡702
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 €1.59
$3.02 ₡1,357
-41.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.50 €2.23
$2.51 ₡1,127
-0.40%
Eggs
$4.58 €4.08
$3.57 ₡1,605
28.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.26 €10.04
$7.43 ₡3,338
51.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.12 €10.81
$10.52 ₡4,724
15.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.32 €20.79
$13.97 ₡6,274
66.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.18
$2.35 ₡1,054
4.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.61 ₡721
-28.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$4.80 ₡2,155
-54.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.61 ₡725
34.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.48 €2.21
$3.80 ₡1,706
-34.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.95
$3.69 ₡1,659
-40.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 €1.21
$1.13 ₡507
19.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 €0.94
$2.66 ₡1,193
-60.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.70 €12.21
$5.18 ₡2,324
164.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.73 €6.89
$19.88 ₡8,929
-61.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.39
$2.90 ₡1,302
-7.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 €2.91
$3.63 ₡1,628
-9.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.12 ₡505
16.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.69 €42.52
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-34.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.51 €4.92
$2.14 ₡959
157.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.57 ₡704
36.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.22 €37.64
$8.52 ₡3,828
395.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 €1.78
$1.52 ₡683
30.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K €30.3K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
57.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K €30.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-0.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 €187
$96.3 ₡43.2K
117.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.20 €12.66
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-60.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.30 €26.12
$53.6 ₡24.1K
-45.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.16 €31.35
$71.6 ₡32.2K
-50.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.47 €12.90
$7.89 ₡3,544
83.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$636 €567
$494 ₡221.9K
28.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.2K €9,993
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-5.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.9 €59.6
$53.9 ₡24.2K
24.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.01 €38.35
$55.4 ₡24.9K
-22.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.0 €79.3
$77.9 ₡35.0K
14.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €110
$79.6 ₡35.8K
55.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$744 €664
$788 ₡353.9K
-5.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$608 €542
$794 ₡356.7K
-23.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,353 €1,206
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-65.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,104 €985
$1,419 ₡637.4K
-22.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 €3,528
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-42.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,959 €2,638
$1,224 ₡549.8K
141.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thonon-les-Bains
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.68
8.62
-57.31%

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

Last update for Thonon-les-Bains: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Thonon-les-Bains
$608
Nosara
$794 30.6% $186
Groceries & Markets
Thonon-les-Bains
$330
Nosara
$352 6.8% $22
Eating Out
Thonon-les-Bains
$294
Nosara
$212 28% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thonon-les-Bains
$253
Nosara
$186 26.5% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Thonon-les-Bains
$145
Nosara
$120 17.2% $25
Getting Around
Thonon-les-Bains
$69
Nosara
$87 25.9% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Thonon-les-Bains
$64
Nosara
$87 36.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $744 in Thonon-les-Bains 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Thonon-les-Bains versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $352 – making Thonon-les-Bains the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Thonon-les-Bains
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
04:57 4:57 AM
20:57 8:57 PM
8 h behind Thonon-les-Bains
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,027
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thonon-les-Bains Nosara 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thonon-les-Bains
  • 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
Thonon-les-Bains vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Thonon-les-Bains and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,764 in Thonon-les-Bains, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Thonon-les-Bains compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,646 per month in Thonon-les-Bains 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 Thonon-les-Bains and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Thonon-les-Bains, 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 Thonon-les-Bains and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 52% less in Thonon-les-Bains. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Thonon-les-Bains and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Thonon-les-Bains 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 Thonon-les-Bains, where all-in costs run around $1,764, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Thonon-les-Bains it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Thonon-les-Bains and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,764 in Thonon-les-Bains to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Thonon-les-Bains 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 Thonon-les-Bains and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Thonon-les-Bains. 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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