Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,578 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,578

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,578 in Arnhem versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Arnhem $2,578
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,771 in Arnhem versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Arnhem $3,771
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Arnhem versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Arnhem $4,963
Nosara $3,712

Living in Arnhem is roughly 40% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 92% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.26

$12.22 ₡5,509

85.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 €78.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

45.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 €11.99

$7.54 ₡3,399

78.25%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$4.31 ₡1,941

-3.48%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$1.72 ₡773

91.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.35 ₡608

111.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.04

$3.24 ₡1,459

74.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.48 ₡2,018

28.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 ₡707

-8.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.17 ₡1,429

-34.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.42 ₡1,091

-3.72%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$3.57 ₡1,609

50.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 €11.57

$7.43 ₡3,349

74.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 €13.01

$10.42 ₡4,697

39.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 €14.01

$13.66 ₡6,156

14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.32 ₡1,044

18.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.61 ₡728

55.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$4.74 ₡2,138

-61.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.56 €4.96

$1.66 ₡747

234.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.72 ₡1,679

-49.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$3.57 ₡1,611

-33.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.10 ₡497

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$2.55 ₡1,149

-71.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 €12.75

$4.95 ₡2,232

188.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 €6.26

$20.01 ₡9,020

-64.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.79 ₡1,256

-48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.53 ₡1,589

-24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.50 €4.02

$1.19 ₡537

278.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €98.5

$72.1 ₡32.5K

53.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 €3.62

$2.24 ₡1,011

80.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.55 ₡701

53.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$8.86 ₡3,993

276.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.57 ₡708

58.60%

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

$40.7K €36.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

86.74%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

12.13%

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

$283 €253

$93.5 ₡42.1K

203.14%

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

$23.28 €20.78

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-33.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.42 €37.86

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-17.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 €37.27

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 €9.86

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-68.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 €12.92

$7.84 ₡3,535

84.69%

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

$1,233 €1,100

$490 ₡220.7K

151.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,877 €5,245

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-50.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.1

$53.5 ₡24.1K

82.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.21 €26.06

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-47.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

32.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €138

$78.9 ₡35.6K

95.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$786 ₡354.3K

82.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 €1,054

$780 ₡351.6K

51.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,217 €1,979

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-42.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,600

$1,407 ₡634.4K

27.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,196 €4,637

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-25.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,775

$1,201 ₡541.3K

252.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,648 €3,255

$876 ₡395.0K

316.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

8.62

-54.18%

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

Last update for Arnhem: 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

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 34% $401

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$349 13.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 48.4% $169

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$339 13.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3% $10

Eating Out

Arnhem

$336 13%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 37.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$174 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30.7% $53

Getting Around

Arnhem

$144 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 39.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$71 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,431 in Arnhem and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 316% 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: $87.0 in Arnhem vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $339 vs $350, with Arnhem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

21:09 9:09 PM

8 h behind Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

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

Arnhem Nosara 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arnhem
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

Arnhem vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Nosara differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,578 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 316% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,431 in Arnhem versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Arnhem pay roughly 3% 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 $60.0 versus $87.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,578 in Arnhem, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. 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, Arnhem 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 40% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.