Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vichy and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Vichy: $1,468 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Vichy
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Vichy Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Vichy

🇫🇷 France

$1,468

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,468 per month in Vichy vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Vichy $1,468
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,201 per month in Vichy vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Vichy $2,201
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,933 per month in Vichy vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Vichy $2,933
Nosara $3,818

Vichy is about 20% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vichy and Nosara sit above the global median – Vichy by 9%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 €6.92

$12.35 ₡5,550

-37.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 €48.71

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-10.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 €6.51

$7.52 ₡3,379

-3.06%

Cappuccino

$2.74 €2.44

$4.41 ₡1,982

-37.87%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.74 ₡781

59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.31 ₡588

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.95

$3.28 ₡1,474

69.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €4.03

$4.47 ₡2,008

1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.56 ₡702

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$3.02 ₡1,358

-37.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.51 ₡1,127

-30.28%

Eggs

$1.96 €1.75

$3.57 ₡1,606

-45.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.90 €21.32

$7.43 ₡3,340

221.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.67 €5.05

$10.52 ₡4,727

-46.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 €6.60

$13.97 ₡6,277

-47.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.35 ₡1,054

-45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.61 ₡721

15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.52

$4.80 ₡2,156

-41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.61 ₡725

21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.80 ₡1,706

-64.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.69 ₡1,660

-69.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.13 ₡508

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 €0.33

$2.66 ₡1,193

-86.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 €9.76

$5.18 ₡2,326

111.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.47 €3.09

$19.88 ₡8,934

-82.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.90 ₡1,303

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.15

$3.63 ₡1,629

-33.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.12 ₡505

66.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.01 €42.82

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-33.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.78

$2.14 ₡960

150.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.57 ₡705

29.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.63 €30.00

$8.52 ₡3,830

294.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.52 ₡683

42.11%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.41%

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

$32.1K €28.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.00%

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

$134 €119

$96.3 ₡43.3K

38.88%

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

$13.43 €11.98

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-62.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.20

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-38.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.27 €34.14

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-46.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.77 €7.82

$7.89 ₡3,546

11.15%

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

$790 €705

$494 ₡222.0K

59.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,586

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-9.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 €58.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

22.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.99 €24.96

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-49.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 €55.1

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.78 €41.73

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-41.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 €666

$788 ₡354.1K

-5.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 €587

$794 ₡356.9K

-17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 €997

$1,419 ₡637.7K

-21.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,410 €3,042

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-50.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 €2,829

$1,224 ₡550.0K

159.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,635 €1,459

$864 ₡388.0K

89.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

8.62

-56.03%

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

Last update for Vichy: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vichy

$658 44.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 20.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Vichy

$242 16.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 45.4% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vichy

$180 12.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.3% $5.9

Eating Out

Vichy

$170 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 24.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Vichy

$91 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.8% $29

Getting Around

Vichy

$71 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 22.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Vichy

$56 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 56.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $746 in Vichy 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 89% higher in Vichy, 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 $55.0 in Vichy versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $352 – making Vichy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Vichy

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

22:50 10:50 PM

8 h behind Vichy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,789

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 = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vichy Nosara 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Vichy
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

Vichy vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,468 in Vichy, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,202 per month in Vichy 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 Vichy, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Vichy. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Vichy and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Vichy, where all-in costs run around $1,468, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vichy 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 $1,468 in Vichy to $1,839 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 Vichy. 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.