Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varberg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,648 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,648

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,648 per month in Varberg vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Varberg $1,648
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,641 per month in Varberg vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Varberg $2,641
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,635 per month in Varberg vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Varberg $3,635
Nosara $3,814

Varberg is about 10% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Varberg and Nosara sit above the global median – Varberg by 22%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 SEK 151

$12.34 ₡5,535

23.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 SEK 752

$61.3 ₡27.5K

23.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 SEK 102

$7.76 ₡3,481

33.25%

Cappuccino

$3.80 SEK 37.70

$4.44 ₡1,992

-14.41%

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

$1.13 SEK 11.16

$1.79 ₡803

-36.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SEK 10.40

$1.29 ₡580

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 SEK 61.1

$3.24 ₡1,451

90.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.75 SEK 76.8

$4.43 ₡1,985

74.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 SEK 14.85

$1.55 ₡696

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 SEK 28.58

$3.08 ₡1,380

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 SEK 34.30

$2.53 ₡1,133

36.76%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 40.72

$3.45 ₡1,546

19.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 SEK 131

$7.32 ₡3,284

80.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.23 SEK 111

$10.24 ₡4,594

9.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.15 SEK 200

$14.10 ₡6,326

42.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 SEK 28.99

$2.29 ₡1,027

27.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.62

$1.64 ₡737

51.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.60

$4.79 ₡2,149

-35.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 SEK 41.89

$1.64 ₡735

157.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.36

$3.85 ₡1,727

-59.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 SEK 15.46

$3.75 ₡1,681

-58.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.43

$1.09 ₡488

135.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SEK 10.28

$2.59 ₡1,160

-59.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 SEK 66.0

$5.12 ₡2,295

30.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 SEK 101

$19.92 ₡8,931

-48.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.46

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 SEK 12.32

$3.52 ₡1,580

-64.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 SEK 28.38

$1.22 ₡549

134.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.1 SEK 774

$73.9 ₡33.1K

5.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 SEK 51.0

$2.17 ₡973

137.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 SEK 23.75

$1.56 ₡698

53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.91 SEK 495

$8.67 ₡3,886

475.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.94

$1.55 ₡697

16.77%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.32%

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

$34.4K SEK 341.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-11.20%

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

$140 SEK 1,390

$94.8 ₡42.5K

47.90%

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

$19.77 SEK 196

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-45.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.07 SEK 298

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-43.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 SEK 393

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-46.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.53 SEK 402

$35.63 ₡16.0K

13.75%

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 SEK 160

$7.91 ₡3,548

104.30%

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

$152 SEK 1,505

$490 ₡219.9K

-69.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,359 SEK 33.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-71.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 SEK 700

$54.8 ₡24.6K

29.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 SEK 401

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,115

$80.4 ₡36.0K

40.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 SEK 1,498

$77.9 ₡34.9K

94.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 SEK 7,839

$801 ₡359.1K

-1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 SEK 4,956

$790 ₡354.1K

-36.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 SEK 11.8K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-70.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 SEK 9,152

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,614 SEK 65.5K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-6.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,563 SEK 35.3K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

188.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,170 SEK 31.4K

$887 ₡397.6K

257.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

8.62

-77.96%

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

Last update for Varberg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varberg

$500 30.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 57.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Varberg

$357 21.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 1.9% $6.9

Eating Out

Varberg

$254 15.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 16.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varberg

$190 11.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 3.2% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Varberg

$169 10.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 28.3% $48

Getting Around

Varberg

$107 6.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 16.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Varberg

$72 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 24.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $791 in Varberg 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 258% higher in Varberg, 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 $76.0 in Varberg versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varberg

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

03:12 3:12 AM

7 h behind Varberg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

4,912

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varberg Nosara 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Varberg
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

Varberg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,648 in Varberg, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,472 per month in Varberg 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 Varberg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Varberg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $152 per month in Varberg and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varberg, where all-in costs run around $1,648, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Varberg 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 $1,648 in Varberg 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 Varberg. 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.