Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,504 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,504

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,504
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,010 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,010
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,516 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,516
Nosara $3,712

Amsterdam costs about 91% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amsterdam and Nosara sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 161%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.94

$12.22 ₡5,509

83.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

51.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 €13.69

$7.54 ₡3,399

103.71%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$4.31 ₡1,941

6.73%

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

$3.74 €3.33

$1.72 ₡773

117.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.35 ₡608

124.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.61

$3.24 ₡1,459

128.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.07

$4.48 ₡2,018

26.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.57 ₡707

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$3.17 ₡1,429

-24.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.42 ₡1,091

4.96%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.67

$3.57 ₡1,609

46.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.95 €15.11

$7.43 ₡3,349

128.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.41 €11.96

$10.42 ₡4,697

28.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 €20.51

$13.66 ₡6,156

68.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.32 ₡1,044

18.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.61 ₡728

75.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$4.74 ₡2,138

-44.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.66 ₡747

133.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.72 ₡1,679

-35.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$3.57 ₡1,611

-52.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.10 ₡497

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.55 ₡1,149

-30.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.48 €12.91

$4.95 ₡2,232

192.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 €8.21

$20.01 ₡9,020

-53.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.79 ₡1,256

-36.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$3.53 ₡1,589

-28.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 €3.32

$1.19 ₡537

212.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$116 €104

$72.1 ₡32.5K

61.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.19

$2.24 ₡1,011

109.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.55 ₡701

119.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.74 €34.54

$8.86 ₡3,993

337.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.57 ₡708

66.24%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

91.13%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

10.16%

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

$298 €266

$93.5 ₡42.1K

218.73%

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

$22.98 €20.49

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-34.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.21

$51.5 ₡23.2K

2.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €53.8

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-15.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.40 €31.56

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-0.11%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 €15.04

$7.84 ₡3,535

115.05%

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

$2,764 €2,464

$490 ₡220.7K

464.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

43.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.2

$53.5 ₡24.1K

74.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.20 €36.74

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-26.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.2

$79.3 ₡35.7K

26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$78.9 ₡35.6K

68.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 €2,323

$786 ₡354.3K

231.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 €1,718

$780 ₡351.6K

147.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,903 €3,480

$3,860 ₡1.7M

1.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,115 €2,777

$1,407 ₡634.4K

121.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.3K €9,193

$6,972 ₡3.1M

47.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,540 €5,831

$1,201 ₡541.3K

444.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,524 €4,034

$876 ₡395.0K

416.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

8.62

-62.06%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$1.9K 55.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 59.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$388 11.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$374 10.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 51.8% $194

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$356 10.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 41.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$165 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 27.2% $45

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 43.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.5% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,605 in Amsterdam versus $786 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 416% higher in Amsterdam, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Amsterdam versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

8 h behind Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amsterdam Nosara 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,255 per month in Amsterdam and $2,756 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 61% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,764 per month in Amsterdam and $490 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 $1,837, than in Amsterdam at $3,504. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.