Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,082 in Varese, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,082

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,082 per month in Varese vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Varese $2,082
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,466 per month in Varese vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Varese $3,466
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,849 per month in Varese vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Varese $4,849
Nosara $3,818

Varese costs about 13% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Varese and Nosara sit above the global median – Varese by 54%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.63

$12.35 ₡5,539

78.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

65.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 €12.37

$7.52 ₡3,373

84.97%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.95

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.11%

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

$3.50 €3.11

$1.74 ₡780

101.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.31 ₡587

29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 €5.84

$3.28 ₡1,471

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 €5.87

$4.47 ₡2,004

47.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.56 ₡701

9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.30

$3.02 ₡1,355

-14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.51 ₡1,125

37.05%

Eggs

$5.11 €4.55

$3.57 ₡1,603

43.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.18 €27.73

$7.43 ₡3,333

319.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.83 €11.41

$10.52 ₡4,717

21.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.34 €24.32

$13.97 ₡6,265

95.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.35 ₡1,052

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.61 ₡720

73.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$4.80 ₡2,152

-38.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.61 ₡724

103.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$3.80 ₡1,703

-31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.13 ₡507

104.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$2.66 ₡1,191

-76.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 €7.12

$5.18 ₡2,321

54.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.78

$19.88 ₡8,916

-56.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.48

$2.90 ₡1,300

-42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.12 ₡504

129.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.71 €44.21

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-31.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 €4.98

$2.14 ₡958

161.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.57 ₡703

45.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.25 €34.92

$8.52 ₡3,823

360.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.52 ₡682

40.79%

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

$36.5K €32.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

69.08%

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

$34.4K €30.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.32%

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

$220 €196

$96.3 ₡43.2K

128.75%

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

$12.94 €11.51

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-63.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.30 €28.73

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.89

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-23.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.63 €21.91

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-29.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 €9.94

$7.89 ₡3,539

41.57%

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

$733 €652

$494 ₡221.6K

48.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,069 €6,288

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-40.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

98.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 €50.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 €117

$77.9 ₡34.9K

68.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$79.6 ₡35.7K

108.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 €838

$788 ₡353.4K

19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €631

$794 ₡356.2K

-10.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 €1,528

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 €1,426

$1,419 ₡636.5K

12.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,525 €2,246

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-63.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 €1,519

$1,224 ₡549.0K

39.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 €2,127

$864 ₡387.3K

176.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

8.62

-56.73%

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

Last update for Varese: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varese

$709 34.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 12% $85

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$434 20.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 18.8% $82

Eating Out

Varese

$311 15%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$266 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 30% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$208 10%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 42.2% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$77 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13% $10

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 13.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Varese versus $788 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 177% higher in Varese, 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 $101 in Varese versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $434 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

8 h behind Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

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Between locations

Varese Nosara 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Varese
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

Varese vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,082 in Varese, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,123 per month in Varese and $2,758 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 46% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $733 per month in Varese and $494 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 $1,839, than in Varese at $2,082. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varese 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,082 in Varese. 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, Varese makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.