Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varnamo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Varnamo: $1,692 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Varnamo vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Varnamo $1,692
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $2,672 per month in Varnamo vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Varnamo $2,672
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,652 per month in Varnamo vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Varnamo $3,652
Nosara $3,820

Varnamo is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Varnamo and Nosara sit above the global median – Varnamo by 24%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 SEK 129

$12.36 ₡5,575

5.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 SEK 891

$60.8 ₡27.4K

47.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 SEK 121

$7.88 ₡3,557

55.20%

Cappuccino

$4.68 SEK 46.47

$4.40 ₡1,986

6.36%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.99

$1.72 ₡776

58.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.15

$1.34 ₡603

58.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 77.6

$3.34 ₡1,505

133.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.3

$4.54 ₡2,048

55.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 17.03

$1.64 ₡739

4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 SEK 24.81

$3.16 ₡1,426

-20.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 35.20

$2.39 ₡1,080

48.12%

Eggs

$4.63 SEK 45.97

$3.47 ₡1,564

33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 SEK 125

$7.13 ₡3,217

76.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 116

$10.32 ₡4,655

13.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 SEK 156

$13.97 ₡6,302

12.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.92

$2.29 ₡1,031

35.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.31

$1.62 ₡731

57.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.99

$4.81 ₡2,169

-41.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.89

$1.68 ₡758

169.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 17.12

$3.91 ₡1,765

-56.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 14.02

$3.63 ₡1,640

-61.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.53

$1.13 ₡509

127.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 15.13

$2.63 ₡1,188

-42.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 SEK 77.6

$5.02 ₡2,267

55.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 SEK 111

$19.71 ₡8,893

-43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.22

$2.91 ₡1,314

-33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 26.25

$3.54 ₡1,597

-25.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.70

$1.21 ₡545

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 SEK 742

$73.8 ₡33.3K

1.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 SEK 50.1

$2.15 ₡969

134.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.71

$1.63 ₡738

-33.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.06 SEK 408

$8.77 ₡3,958

368.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.08

$1.55 ₡700

10.97%

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

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-0.91%

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

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-10.99%

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

$77.0 SEK 764

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-19.18%

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

$17.22 SEK 171

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-52.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 SEK 302

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-41.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 SEK 388

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-42.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.33 SEK 222

$35.55 ₡16.0K

-37.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 SEK 153

$7.54 ₡3,404

103.71%

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

$157 SEK 1,558

$496 ₡224.0K

-68.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-62.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 SEK 799

$55.1 ₡24.9K

45.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 SEK 564

$56.1 ₡25.3K

1.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SEK 992

$77.8 ₡35.1K

28.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,223

$79.1 ₡35.7K

55.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,889

$817 ₡368.9K

-2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,075

$806 ₡363.6K

-24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-70.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 SEK 9,780

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-31.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-43.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

$1,197 ₡540.1K

138.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

$888 ₡400.7K

128.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

8.62

-64.85%

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

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varnamo

$612 36.2%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 31.7% $194

Groceries & Markets

Varnamo

$357 21.1%

Nosara

$351 19% 1.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Varnamo

$269 15.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 20.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Varnamo

$162 9.6%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 25.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varnamo

$125 7.4%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 47.3% $59

Getting Around

Varnamo

$98 5.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 9.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Varnamo

$70 4.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 18.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $794 in Varnamo versus $817 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 in Varnamo are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $90 in Varnamo versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

06:56 6:56 AM

7 h behind Varnamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,778

4,912

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varnamo Nosara 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Varnamo
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

Varnamo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Varnamo, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Varnamo and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $794 in Varnamo and $817 in Nosara. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $157 per month in Varnamo and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Varnamo and $1,846 in Nosara. That’s a gap of about 9%.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Varnamo and $1,846 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Varnamo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.