Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brugge and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,161 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. The total is higher in Brugge despite lower rent and utilities.

104

Cost of Living Index in Brugge
Learn more

Brugge Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Brugge

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,161

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Brugge vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Brugge $2,161
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,114 per month in Brugge vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Brugge $3,114
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,067 per month in Brugge vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Brugge $4,067
Nosara $3,712

Brugge costs about 18% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brugge and Nosara sit above the global median – Brugge by 61%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.81 €20.36

$12.22 ₡5,509

86.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

32.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.06

$7.54 ₡3,399

49.60%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.95

$4.31 ₡1,941

2.78%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$1.72 ₡773

71.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.35 ₡608

117.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.85

$3.24 ₡1,459

67.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.10

$4.48 ₡2,018

2.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.57 ₡707

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$3.17 ₡1,429

-40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.42 ₡1,091

-16.53%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.39

$3.57 ₡1,609

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$7.43 ₡3,349

54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.85

$10.42 ₡4,697

16.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 €17.25

$13.66 ₡6,156

41.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.32 ₡1,044

15.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.61 ₡728

31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.74 ₡2,138

-53.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.66 ₡747

35.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.72 ₡1,679

-38.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$3.57 ₡1,611

-72.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.10 ₡497

39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$2.55 ₡1,149

-62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$4.95 ₡2,232

163.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.57

$20.01 ₡9,020

-63.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.79 ₡1,256

-60.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$3.53 ₡1,589

-43.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 €2.89

$1.19 ₡537

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 €49.99

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-22.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 €2.99

$2.24 ₡1,011

49.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.55 ₡701

63.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.12 €22.42

$8.86 ₡3,993

183.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.57 ₡708

25.48%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

60.13%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-0.98%

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

$214 €191

$93.5 ₡42.1K

129.41%

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

$18.04 €16.10

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-48.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.30

$51.5 ₡23.2K

2.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.54

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.66 €12.19

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-61.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 €13.27

$7.84 ₡3,535

89.67%

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

$606 €541

$490 ₡220.7K

23.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,952 €4,419

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-58.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

94.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 €53.4

$55.8 ₡25.1K

7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

12.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 €227

$78.9 ₡35.6K

222.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 €838

$786 ₡354.3K

19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$780 ₡351.6K

6.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,181

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-65.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,061

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-15.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 €2,379

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-61.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 €2,233

$1,201 ₡541.3K

108.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,551 €2,276

$876 ₡395.0K

191.09%

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 Brugge: 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

Brugge

$831 38.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 6.1% $51

Eating Out

Brugge

$329 15.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 36.4% $120

Groceries & Markets

Brugge

$304 14.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 15% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brugge

$285 13.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 36.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Brugge

$228 10.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 47.3% $108

Getting Around

Brugge

$85 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brugge

$72 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $939 in Brugge 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 191% higher in Brugge, 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 $80.0 in Brugge versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Brugge vs $350 in Nosara – so Brugge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brugge

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

21:27 9:27 PM

8 h behind Brugge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,639

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

Brugge Nosara 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brugge
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

Brugge vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brugge is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,242 per month in Brugge 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,161 in Brugge and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 18%.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Brugge at $2,161. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brugge 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, Brugge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.