Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thun and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,388 in Thun, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,388 per month in Thun vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Thun $3,388
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,170 per month in Thun vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Thun $5,170
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,952 per month in Thun vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Thun $6,952
Nosara $3,818

Thun costs about 84% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thun and Nosara sit above the global median – Thun by 151%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.31 CHF 23.32

$12.35 ₡5,539

129.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$61.2 ₡27.4K

99.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.51 CHF 12.77

$7.52 ₡3,373

106.25%

Cappuccino

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$4.41 ₡1,978

46.26%

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

$6.28 CHF 5.17

$1.74 ₡780

260.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$1.31 ₡587

348.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 CHF 7.29

$3.28 ₡1,471

169.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 CHF 6.32

$4.47 ₡2,004

71.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.56 ₡701

36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$3.02 ₡1,355

-0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$2.51 ₡1,125

24.70%

Eggs

$7.60 CHF 6.26

$3.57 ₡1,603

112.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 CHF 19.62

$7.43 ₡3,333

220.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.88 CHF 22.14

$10.52 ₡4,717

155.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.26 CHF 32.34

$13.97 ₡6,265

181.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 CHF 2.92

$2.35 ₡1,052

51.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.61 ₡720

21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 CHF 2.18

$4.80 ₡2,152

-44.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 CHF 3.90

$1.61 ₡724

193.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.13 ₡507

93.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$2.66 ₡1,191

-51.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 CHF 9.26

$5.18 ₡2,321

117.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 CHF 9.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-39.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.90 ₡1,300

-22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$1.12 ₡504

300.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

38.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 CHF 6.62

$2.14 ₡958

275.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$1.57 ₡703

188.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$82.9 CHF 68.3

$8.52 ₡3,823

873.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$1.52 ₡682

56.58%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

96.82%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

14.27%

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

$289 CHF 238

$96.3 ₡43.2K

200.34%

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

$46.36 CHF 38.18

$35.89 ₡16.1K

29.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

17.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.8 CHF 74.0

$71.6 ₡32.1K

25.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 CHF 37.89

$34.91 ₡15.7K

31.80%

Cinema Ticket

$23.22 CHF 19.12

$7.89 ₡3,539

194.30%

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

$3,058 CHF 2,519

$494 ₡221.6K

518.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K CHF 25.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

157.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$53.9 ₡24.2K

166.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 64.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

42.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$77.9 ₡34.9K

104.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$79.6 ₡35.7K

140.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 CHF 1,388

$788 ₡353.4K

113.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 CHF 1,180

$794 ₡356.2K

80.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,842 CHF 2,341

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-27.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 CHF 2,023

$1,419 ₡636.5K

73.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

134.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,721

$1,224 ₡549.0K

864.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,785 CHF 4,765

$864 ₡387.3K

569.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

8.62

-71.93%

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

Last update for Thun: 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

Thun

$1.4K 42.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.5% $638

Groceries & Markets

Thun

$556 16.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 36.6% $203

Eating Out

Thun

$459 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 53.8% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thun

$398 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 53.4% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Thun

$258 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 53.5% $138

Getting Around

Thun

$149 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 41.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Thun

$136 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,685 in Thun 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 570% higher in Thun, 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 $122 in Thun versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $556 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Thun

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

8 h behind Thun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

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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Between locations

Thun Nosara 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Thun
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

Thun vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,388 in Thun, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,083 per month in Thun and $2,758 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 38% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,058 per month in Thun and $494 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 $1,839, than in Thun at $3,388. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thun 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $3,388 in Thun. 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, Thun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.