Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,139 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,139 per month in Ulm vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Ulm $2,139
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,265 per month in Ulm vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Ulm $3,265
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,390 per month in Ulm vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Ulm $4,390
Nosara $3,712

Ulm costs about 16% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ulm and Nosara sit above the global median – Ulm by 60%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$12.22 ₡5,509

36.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

10.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$7.54 ₡3,399

76.26%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$4.31 ₡1,941

-11.83%

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

$4.67 €4.16

$1.72 ₡773

171.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.35 ₡608

42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.17

$3.24 ₡1,459

44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$4.48 ₡2,018

-1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.57 ₡707

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.17 ₡1,429

-37.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.42 ₡1,091

72.73%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$3.57 ₡1,609

1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.85

$7.43 ₡3,349

93.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.13

$10.42 ₡4,697

-1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 €22.73

$13.66 ₡6,156

86.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.11

$2.32 ₡1,044

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.61 ₡728

39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$4.74 ₡2,138

-58.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$1.66 ₡747

134.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$3.72 ₡1,679

-72.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.57 ₡1,611

-68.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.10 ₡497

52.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$2.55 ₡1,149

-52.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 €8.89

$4.95 ₡2,232

101.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$20.01 ₡9,020

-71.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.79 ₡1,256

-58.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.53 ₡1,589

-57.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$1.19 ₡537

168.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.7

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-10.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.57 ₡708

34.39%

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

$32.7K €29.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

50.02%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

11.51%

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

$384 €342

$93.5 ₡42.1K

310.67%

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

$34.18 €30.50

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-2.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.12

$51.5 ₡23.2K

2.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.91 €30.26

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-52.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 €20.05

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-36.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.05

$7.84 ₡3,535

72.19%

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

$451 €402

$490 ₡220.7K

-7.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

8.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

69.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.37

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €82.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$78.9 ₡35.6K

90.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$786 ₡354.3K

21.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$780 ₡351.6K

-3.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,684

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 €1,352

$1,407 ₡634.4K

7.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,993 €5,349

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-14.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,946 €3,522

$1,201 ₡541.3K

228.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,754 €3,350

$876 ₡395.0K

328.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

8.62

-53.94%

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

Last update for Ulm: 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

Ulm

$756 35%

Nosara

$780 43% 3.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$471 21.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 61.8% $291

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$341 15.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 2.5% $8.4

Eating Out

Ulm

$277 12.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 24.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$175 8.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 31.1% $54

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$61 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 42.9% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Ulm 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 328% higher in Ulm, 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 $66.0 in Ulm versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $341 in Ulm vs $350 in Nosara – so Ulm wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

19:37 7:37 PM

8 h behind Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulm Nosara 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,139 in Ulm, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,208 per month in Ulm 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 12% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $451 per month in Ulm 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 Ulm at $2,139. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulm 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 $2,139 in Ulm. 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, Ulm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.