Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antwerp and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,197 in Antwerp, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,197

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,197 in Antwerp versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Antwerp $2,197
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,371 in Antwerp versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Antwerp $3,371
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,545 in Antwerp versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Antwerp $4,545
Nosara $3,712

Living in Antwerp is roughly 20% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Antwerp 64% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.46 €20.93

$12.22 ₡5,509

91.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

75.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.78

$7.54 ₡3,399

75.07%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.92

$4.31 ₡1,941

1.86%

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

$3.57 €3.19

$1.72 ₡773

107.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.24

$1.35 ₡608

168.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.24 ₡1,459

74.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 €5.56

$4.48 ₡2,018

39.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.57 ₡707

-13.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.49

$3.17 ₡1,429

-11.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.42 ₡1,091

-9.50%

Eggs

$3.69 €3.30

$3.57 ₡1,609

3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 €15.19

$7.43 ₡3,349

129.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 €10.89

$10.42 ₡4,697

17.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.49

$13.66 ₡6,156

68.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.32 ₡1,044

31.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.61 ₡728

46.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$4.74 ₡2,138

-42.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.02

$1.66 ₡747

103.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.72 ₡1,679

-33.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.57 ₡1,611

-44.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.10 ₡497

35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$2.55 ₡1,149

-58.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.81 €11.43

$4.95 ₡2,232

158.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 €7.93

$20.01 ₡9,020

-55.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.79 ₡1,256

-36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$3.53 ₡1,589

-41.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.03

$1.19 ₡537

184.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 €49.60

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-22.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.90

$2.24 ₡1,011

145.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.55 ₡701

72.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.04 €39.30

$8.86 ₡3,993

397.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.57 ₡708

32.48%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

61.88%

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

$34.0K €30.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-1.71%

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

$206 €183

$93.5 ₡42.1K

119.95%

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

$21.64 €19.31

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-38.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.82 €42.68

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-7.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 €32.90

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-48.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.20 €24.27

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-23.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.79

$7.84 ₡3,535

97.07%

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

$1,617 €1,443

$490 ₡220.7K

230.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K €30.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

184.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

108.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.59

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-8.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

30.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €152

$78.9 ₡35.6K

115.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 €922

$786 ₡354.3K

31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 €765

$780 ₡351.6K

9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 €1,431

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-58.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,203

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-4.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,499 €4,015

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-35.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,040 €2,713

$1,201 ₡541.3K

153.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,087 €2,755

$876 ₡395.0K

252.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.62

-59.86%

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

Last update for Antwerp: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antwerp

$857 39%

Nosara

$780 43% 9% $77

Groceries & Markets

Antwerp

$364 16.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Antwerp

$349 15.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 40.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antwerp

$275 12.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 34.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Antwerp

$196 8.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 38.7% $76

Getting Around

Antwerp

$88 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1.3% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Antwerp

$68 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 28.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,033 in Antwerp and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antwerp pays 252% 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: $106 in Antwerp vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

8 h behind Antwerp

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

525,935

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

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Between locations

Antwerp Nosara 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Antwerp
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

Antwerp vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antwerp and Nosara differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,197 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 252% higher in Antwerp, 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: $1,033 in Antwerp versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 30% less than in Antwerp. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,617 in Antwerp versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,197 in Antwerp, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Antwerp. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Antwerp 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 20% less than in Antwerp. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.