Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valmiera and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Valmiera: $1,370 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Valmiera
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Valmiera Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Valmiera

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,370

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,370 per month in Valmiera vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Valmiera $1,370
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,978 per month in Valmiera vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Valmiera $1,978
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,586 per month in Valmiera vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Valmiera $2,586
Nosara $3,814

Valmiera is about 25% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Valmiera and Nosara sit above the global median – Valmiera by 1%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.69

$12.34 ₡5,535

33.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.95 €39.99

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-26.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 €8.09

$7.76 ₡3,481

17.14%

Cappuccino

$3.56 €3.16

$4.44 ₡1,992

-19.82%

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

$1.58 €1.41

$1.79 ₡803

-11.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.29 ₡580

-6.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 €4.60

$3.24 ₡1,451

59.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$4.43 ₡1,985

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.55 ₡696

-29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.53 ₡1,133

-54.55%

Eggs

$3.67 €3.27

$3.45 ₡1,546

6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 €9.18

$7.32 ₡3,284

41.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 €7.14

$10.24 ₡4,594

-21.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 €12.13

$14.10 ₡6,326

-3.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.29 ₡1,027

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.64 ₡737

11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.79 ₡2,149

-46.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.64 ₡735

96.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 €0.75

$3.85 ₡1,727

-78.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$3.75 ₡1,681

-74.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.09 ₡488

60.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.59 ₡1,160

-64.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 €6.02

$5.12 ₡2,295

32.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.91

$19.92 ₡8,931

-60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.80 ₡1,255

-27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.52 ₡1,580

-39.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.22 ₡549

-28.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.17 ₡973

53.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.56 ₡698

-37.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.02 €16.03

$8.67 ₡3,886

107.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.55 ₡697

36.13%

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

$27.0K €24.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.89%

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

$29.8K €26.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-23.16%

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

$371 €330

$94.8 ₡42.5K

290.90%

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

$19.95 €17.75

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-44.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.23 €17.99

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-61.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.71 €34.43

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-47.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 €10.16

$7.91 ₡3,548

44.37%

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

$684 €608

$490 ₡219.9K

39.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

55.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.4

$54.8 ₡24.6K

26.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 €44.71

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-10.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 €76.1

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €122

$77.9 ₡34.9K

76.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 €299

$801 ₡359.1K

-58.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 €201

$790 ₡354.1K

-71.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 €450

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-87.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 €298

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-76.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,370 €1,218

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-80.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,005 €894

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-18.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

8.62

-44.66%

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

Last update for Valmiera: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valmiera

$411 30%

Nosara

$184 10% 55.2% $227

Groceries & Markets

Valmiera

$258 18.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 35.8% $92

Eating Out

Valmiera

$248 18.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 14.2% $35

Accommodation & Living

Valmiera

$226 16.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 249% $563

Clothing & Footwear

Valmiera

$154 11.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Valmiera

$62 4.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 45.6% $28

Getting Around

Valmiera

$12 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 658% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Valmiera 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Valmiera versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $350 – making Valmiera the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Valmiera

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

10:54 10:54 AM

9 h behind Valmiera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,674

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

Valmiera Nosara 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Valmiera
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

Valmiera vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,370 in Valmiera, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,055 per month in Valmiera 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 Valmiera, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Valmiera and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Valmiera, where all-in costs run around $1,370, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Valmiera 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 $1,370 in Valmiera to $1,835 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 Valmiera. 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.