Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Villingen-Schwenningen and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Villingen-Schwenningen and in Nosara: $1,846 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

Villingen-Schwenningen
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,846
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Villingen-Schwenningen vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Villingen-Schwenningen $1,846
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,844 per month in Villingen-Schwenningen vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Villingen-Schwenningen $2,844
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,842 per month in Villingen-Schwenningen vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Villingen-Schwenningen $3,842
  • Nosara $3,818

Villingen-Schwenningen and Nosara have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Villingen-Schwenningen and Nosara sit above the global median – Villingen-Schwenningen by 37%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.34 €13.68
$12.35 ₡5,547
24.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.9 €49.83
$61.2 ₡27.5K
-8.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.24 €9.13
$7.52 ₡3,377
36.17%
Cappuccino
$3.39 €3.02
$4.41 ₡1,981
-23.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.03
$1.74 ₡781
95.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 €2.05
$1.31 ₡588
75.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.09 €4.54
$3.28 ₡1,473
55.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 €3.89
$4.47 ₡2,007
-2.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 €1.09
$1.56 ₡702
-21.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 €1.84
$3.02 ₡1,357
-31.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.95 €2.63
$2.51 ₡1,127
17.53%
Eggs
$2.50 €2.23
$3.57 ₡1,605
-29.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 €8.79
$7.43 ₡3,338
32.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.30 €10.08
$10.52 ₡4,724
7.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.31 €13.65
$13.97 ₡6,274
9.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 €2.65
$2.35 ₡1,054
26.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 €1.45
$1.61 ₡721
1.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$4.80 ₡2,155
-56.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.96 €3.54
$1.61 ₡725
145.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 €1.14
$3.80 ₡1,706
-66.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 €1.14
$3.69 ₡1,659
-65.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.13 ₡507
20.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.97
$2.66 ₡1,193
-59.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.69 €8.64
$5.18 ₡2,324
87.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.86 €3.45
$19.88 ₡8,929
-80.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 €1.09
$2.90 ₡1,302
-57.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 €1.38
$3.63 ₡1,628
-57.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.36 €2.99
$1.12 ₡505
200.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.4 €59.2
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-8.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.92 €4.39
$2.14 ₡959
129.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.72 €2.42
$1.57 ₡704
73.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.34 €37.75
$8.52 ₡3,828
396.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.52 ₡683
34.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K €29.1K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
50.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.8K €33.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
9.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$481 €429
$96.3 ₡43.2K
399.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.63 €13.94
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-56.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.05 €41.06
$53.6 ₡24.1K
-14.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.88 €34.66
$71.6 ₡32.2K
-45.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.16 €21.54
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-30.79%
Cinema Ticket
$9.97 €8.89
$7.89 ₡3,544
26.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 €233
$494 ₡221.9K
-47.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.3K €15.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
45.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.2 €76.0
$53.9 ₡24.2K
57.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.4 €53.0
$55.4 ₡24.9K
7.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 €101
$77.9 ₡35.0K
45.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 €96.3
$79.6 ₡35.8K
35.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$767 €684
$788 ₡353.9K
-2.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$449 €400
$794 ₡356.7K
-43.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,473 €1,313
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-62.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,128 €1,006
$1,419 ₡637.4K
-20.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,673 €4,166
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-32.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,581 €3,193
$1,224 ₡549.8K
192.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Villingen-Schwenningen
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,993 €3,561
$864 ₡387.8K
362.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
8.62
-55.80%

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

Last update for Villingen-Schwenningen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Villingen-Schwenningen
$543
Nosara
$186 65.8% $357
Accommodation & Living
Villingen-Schwenningen
$449
Nosara
$794 77% $346
Groceries & Markets
Villingen-Schwenningen
$281
Nosara
$352 25.2% $71
Eating Out
Villingen-Schwenningen
$251
Nosara
$212 15.6% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Villingen-Schwenningen
$165
Nosara
$120 27% $44
Getting Around
Villingen-Schwenningen
$98
Nosara
$87 11.4% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Villingen-Schwenningen
$59
Nosara
$87 48.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $767 in Villingen-Schwenningen 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 362% higher in Villingen-Schwenningen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Villingen-Schwenningen versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $352 – making Villingen-Schwenningen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Villingen-Schwenningen
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
12:43 12:43 PM
04:43 4:43 AM
8 h behind Villingen-Schwenningen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
81,128
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Villingen-Schwenningen Nosara 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Villingen-Schwenningen
  • 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
Villingen-Schwenningen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What salary covers living expenses in Villingen-Schwenningen compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Villingen-Schwenningen and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Villingen-Schwenningen and Nosara?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Villingen-Schwenningen and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Villingen-Schwenningen and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 9% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Villingen-Schwenningen at $1,846. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Villingen-Schwenningen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Villingen-Schwenningen and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $1,846 in Villingen-Schwenningen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Villingen-Schwenningen or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Villingen-Schwenningen and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Villingen-Schwenningen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Villingen-Schwenningen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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