Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,608 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Umea vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Umea $1,608
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,579 per month in Umea vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Umea $2,579
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,550 per month in Umea vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Umea $3,550
Nosara $3,712

Umea is about 12% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Umea and Nosara sit above the global median – Umea by 20%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 SEK 150

$12.22 ₡5,509

22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 SEK 793

$60.2 ₡27.1K

31.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 SEK 120

$7.54 ₡3,399

59.15%

Cappuccino

$3.99 SEK 39.90

$4.31 ₡1,941

-7.42%

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

$3.20 SEK 31.99

$1.72 ₡773

86.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SEK 23.59

$1.35 ₡608

74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 SEK 83.0

$3.24 ₡1,459

156.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 SEK 74.0

$4.48 ₡2,018

65.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.29

$1.57 ₡707

3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 SEK 34.42

$3.17 ₡1,429

8.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 SEK 40.68

$2.42 ₡1,091

68.18%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.95

$3.57 ₡1,609

9.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 SEK 112

$7.43 ₡3,349

51.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 SEK 107

$10.42 ₡4,697

2.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 SEK 172

$13.66 ₡6,156

26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 SEK 24.57

$2.32 ₡1,044

6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 SEK 22.63

$1.61 ₡728

40.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 28.16

$4.74 ₡2,138

-40.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 43.00

$1.66 ₡747

159.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 SEK 16.35

$3.72 ₡1,679

-55.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.60

$3.57 ₡1,611

-53.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.90

$1.10 ₡497

126.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.83

$2.55 ₡1,149

-49.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.9

$4.95 ₡2,232

39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 SEK 98.9

$20.01 ₡9,020

-50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.66

$2.79 ₡1,256

-18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 24.40

$3.53 ₡1,589

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 SEK 29.16

$1.19 ₡537

145.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 SEK 568

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-21.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 SEK 68.0

$2.24 ₡1,011

203.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.02 SEK 50.2

$1.55 ₡701

223.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.37

$1.57 ₡708

10.83%

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

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

51.46%

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

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-2.86%

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

$86.0 SEK 860

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-7.93%

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

$32.39 SEK 324

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-7.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.15 SEK 271

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-47.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.96 SEK 489

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-31.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.34 SEK 353

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-0.28%

Cinema Ticket

$16.17 SEK 162

$7.84 ₡3,535

106.25%

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

$137 SEK 1,368

$490 ₡220.7K

-72.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.5 SEK 995

$53.5 ₡24.1K

85.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 SEK 364

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-34.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 SEK 1,166

$79.3 ₡35.7K

47.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,405

$78.9 ₡35.6K

78.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 SEK 7,357

$786 ₡354.3K

-6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 SEK 5,040

$780 ₡351.6K

-35.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-71.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 SEK 8,227

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-41.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-34.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

153.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

$876 ₡395.0K

205.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

8.62

-57.66%

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

Last update for Umea: 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

Umea

$504 30.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 54.6% $276

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$350 21.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 25.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$177 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 32% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$146 8.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 23.7% $34

Getting Around

Umea

$100 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $736 in Umea 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 205% higher in Umea, 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 $79.0 in Umea versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Umea vs $350 in Nosara – so Umea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

8 h behind Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

4,912

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

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 SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Umea Nosara 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Umea
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

Umea vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Umea, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Umea 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 Umea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Umea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $137 per month in Umea and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Umea, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Umea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,608 in Umea to $1,837 in Nosara. 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 Umea. 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.