Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarschot and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,043 in Aarschot, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,043

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,043 in Aarschot versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Aarschot $2,043
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,981 in Aarschot versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Aarschot $2,981
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,919 in Aarschot versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Aarschot $3,919
Nosara $3,818

Living in Aarschot is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aarschot 51% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 €15.84

$12.35 ₡5,539

44.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 €68.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

26.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.75

$7.52 ₡3,373

45.74%

Cappuccino

$3.68 €3.27

$4.41 ₡1,978

-16.55%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$1.74 ₡780

70.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.31 ₡587

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.28 ₡1,471

57.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

-1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.56 ₡701

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.02 ₡1,355

-7.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

-19.52%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$3.57 ₡1,603

4.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 €10.08

$7.43 ₡3,333

52.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.41

$10.52 ₡4,717

11.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 €13.31

$13.97 ₡6,265

7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.35 ₡1,052

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.61 ₡720

38.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.61 ₡724

36.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.80 ₡1,703

-42.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.69 ₡1,657

-52.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.13 ₡507

32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 €8.26

$5.18 ₡2,321

79.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 €6.44

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$3.63 ₡1,626

-51.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.12 ₡504

179.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$72.6 ₡32.6K

82.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 €4.43

$2.14 ₡958

132.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.57 ₡703

58.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$8.52 ₡3,823

97.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.52 ₡682

29.61%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.19%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-1.26%

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

$210 €186

$96.3 ₡43.2K

117.57%

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

$18.26 €16.24

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-49.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 €47.82

$53.6 ₡24.0K

0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.30 €32.29

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 €15.81

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 €12.86

$7.89 ₡3,539

83.27%

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

$701 €624

$494 ₡221.6K

41.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €14.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

33.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €76.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

60.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.84 €22.98

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-53.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

64.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 €818

$788 ₡353.4K

16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$794 ₡356.2K

1.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 €1,219

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,030

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-18.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 €3,140

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-48.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,807 €2,497

$1,224 ₡549.0K

129.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 €2,808

$864 ₡387.3K

265.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

8.62

-59.16%

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

Last update for Aarschot: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarschot

$806 39.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1.4% $11

Groceries & Markets

Aarschot

$302 14.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 16.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarschot

$282 13.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 34% $96

Eating Out

Aarschot

$277 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23.4% $65

Getting Around

Aarschot

$163 8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 46.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Aarschot

$149 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Aarschot

$65 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $920 in Aarschot and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 266% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Aarschot vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $352, with Aarschot cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

8 h behind Aarschot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,656

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

Aarschot Nosara 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aarschot
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

Aarschot vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 266% higher in Aarschot, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $920 in Aarschot versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aarschot pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $77.0 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,043 in Aarschot, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Aarschot. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aarschot, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aarschot and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Aarschot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.