Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkaus and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Varkaus and in Nosara: $1,900 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

93

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
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Varkaus Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,900

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,900 per month in Varkaus vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Varkaus $1,900
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,063 per month in Varkaus vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Varkaus $3,063
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,225 per month in Varkaus vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Varkaus $4,225
Nosara $3,818

Varkaus costs about 3% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Varkaus and Nosara sit above the global median – Varkaus by 41%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.90 €14.14

$12.35 ₡5,539

28.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

66.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 €10.52

$7.52 ₡3,373

57.31%

Cappuccino

$5.28 €4.70

$4.41 ₡1,978

19.73%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$1.74 ₡780

98.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.31 ₡587

107.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.74 €7.77

$3.28 ₡1,471

166.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.66 €8.60

$4.47 ₡2,004

116.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.56 ₡701

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 €2.60

$3.02 ₡1,355

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$2.51 ₡1,125

39.84%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$3.57 ₡1,603

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 €9.75

$7.43 ₡3,333

47.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.14 €14.36

$10.52 ₡4,717

53.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.36 €19.89

$13.97 ₡6,265

60.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.61 ₡720

27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

-31.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 €3.86

$1.61 ₡724

169.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.13 ₡507

79.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.66 ₡1,191

-27.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.24 €10.88

$5.18 ₡2,321

136.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 €11.98

$19.88 ₡8,916

-32.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.90 ₡1,300

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 €4.38

$3.63 ₡1,626

35.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.12 ₡504

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.04

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-24.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.50 €8.45

$2.14 ₡958

343.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.57 ₡703

16.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.1 €45.47

$8.52 ₡3,823

500.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.52 ₡682

47.37%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.06%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.86%

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

$109 €96.7

$96.3 ₡43.2K

12.87%

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

$28.10 €24.99

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-21.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 €22.47

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-52.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.53 €38.72

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-39.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.91 €19.49

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-37.24%

Cinema Ticket

$17.63 €15.68

$7.89 ₡3,539

123.45%

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

$323 €287

$494 ₡221.6K

-34.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K €11.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

7.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 €109

$53.9 ₡24.2K

127.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 €50.8

$55.4 ₡24.8K

3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 €85.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 €160

$79.6 ₡35.7K

125.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 €589

$788 ₡353.4K

-16.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €575

$794 ₡356.2K

-18.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 €1,190

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-66.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 €1,033

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-18.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,875 €3,447

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-43.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,331 €2,074

$1,224 ₡549.0K

90.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

8.62

-59.28%

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

Last update for Varkaus: 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

Varkaus

$646 34%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 23% $148

Groceries & Markets

Varkaus

$410 21.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14% $57

Eating Out

Varkaus

$314 16.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Varkaus

$205 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 41.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkaus

$162 8.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.6% $24

Getting Around

Varkaus

$85 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 2.1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Varkaus

$79 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $662 in Varkaus 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Varkaus versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

02:16 2:16 AM

9 h behind Varkaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,257

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

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Between locations

Varkaus Nosara 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkaus
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

Varkaus vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,900 in Varkaus, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,850 per month in Varkaus 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 32% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $323 per month in Varkaus 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 Varkaus at $1,900. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varkaus 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 $1,900 in Varkaus. 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, Varkaus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.