Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaasa and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Vaasa and in Nosara: $1,868 and $1,835 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Vaasa
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Vaasa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Vaasa

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,868

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,868 per month in Vaasa vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Vaasa $1,868
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Vaasa vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Vaasa $2,778
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,687 per month in Vaasa vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Vaasa $3,687
Nosara $3,814

Vaasa costs about 2% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vaasa and Nosara sit above the global median – Vaasa by 38%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.62 €13.90

$12.34 ₡5,535

26.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

39.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 €8.90

$7.76 ₡3,481

28.87%

Cappuccino

$4.90 €4.36

$4.44 ₡1,992

10.36%

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

$4.11 €3.65

$1.79 ₡803

129.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 €3.46

$1.29 ₡580

201.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 €7.27

$3.24 ₡1,451

152.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.91 €7.93

$4.43 ₡1,985

101.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.55 ₡696

2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 €2.83

$3.08 ₡1,380

3.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$2.53 ₡1,133

64.43%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$3.45 ₡1,546

4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$7.32 ₡3,284

20.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 €10.72

$10.24 ₡4,594

17.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.49 €19.12

$14.10 ₡6,326

52.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.35

$2.29 ₡1,027

15.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.64 ₡737

39.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$4.79 ₡2,149

-40.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 €4.06

$1.64 ₡735

178.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$3.85 ₡1,727

-66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.75 ₡1,681

-49.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.09 ₡488

160.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.76 €3.35

$2.59 ₡1,160

45.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.68 €13.06

$5.12 ₡2,295

186.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 €11.06

$19.92 ₡8,931

-37.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.80 ₡1,255

4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 €3.55

$3.52 ₡1,580

13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.22 ₡549

72.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.91 €35.50

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-45.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.88 €10.56

$2.17 ₡973

447.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.56 ₡698

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$91.0 €81.0

$8.67 ₡3,886

949.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.55 ₡697

36.13%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

6.43%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-12.83%

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

$256 €228

$94.8 ₡42.5K

170.22%

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

$36.89 €32.82

$36.15 ₡16.2K

2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.15 €33.93

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-28.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 €35.18

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-46.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 €15.77

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-50.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.78

$7.91 ₡3,548

81.54%

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

$423 €376

$490 ₡219.9K

-13.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 €72.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

49.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.20 €19.75

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-60.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 €59.3

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-17.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$77.9 ₡34.9K

62.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 €653

$801 ₡359.1K

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 €499

$790 ₡354.1K

-29.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 €924

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-74.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €707

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-43.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 €2,420

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,220 €1,975

$1,236 ₡554.3K

79.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,640 €3,237

$887 ₡397.6K

310.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

8.62

-38.86%

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

Last update for Vaasa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Vaasa

$561 30%

Nosara

$790 43% 40.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Vaasa

$403 21.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 13.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaasa

$331 17.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 44.4% $147

Eating Out

Vaasa

$305 16.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Vaasa

$134 7.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Vaasa

$68 3.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 31.2% $21

Getting Around

Vaasa

$67 3.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 32.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Vaasa versus $801 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 311% higher in Vaasa, 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 $85.0 in Vaasa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Vaasa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

9 h behind Vaasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,374

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vaasa Nosara 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Vaasa
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

Vaasa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,868 in Vaasa, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,802 per month in Vaasa and $2,753 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 85% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $423 per month in Vaasa 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 $1,835, than in Vaasa at $1,868. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaasa 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $1,868 in Vaasa. 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, Vaasa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.