Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bussum and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,557 in Bussum, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Bussum
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Bussum Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bussum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,557 in Bussum versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Bussum $2,557
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,742 in Bussum versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Bussum $3,742
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,927 in Bussum versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Bussum $4,927
Nosara $3,818

Living in Bussum is roughly 39% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bussum 89% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.87 €22.12

$12.35 ₡5,539

101.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 €74.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

37.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

81.25%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.47

$4.41 ₡1,978

-11.56%

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

$3.77 €3.36

$1.74 ₡780

116.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.31 ₡587

137.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.83

$3.28 ₡1,471

65.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.47 ₡2,004

22.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 €1.18

$3.02 ₡1,355

-55.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.51 ₡1,125

-3.19%

Eggs

$4.82 €4.29

$3.57 ₡1,603

35.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 €11.36

$7.43 ₡3,333

71.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.39 €12.80

$10.52 ₡4,717

36.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.35 ₡1,052

-18.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.61 ₡720

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$1.61 ₡724

65.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.78

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$3.69 ₡1,657

-57.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.13 ₡507

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 €12.38

$5.18 ₡2,321

168.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.63 ₡1,626

-51.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 €3.11

$1.12 ₡504

212.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 €78.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

22.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.91

$2.14 ₡958

105.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.91

$1.57 ₡703

108.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.8 €54.1

$8.52 ₡3,823

613.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.52 ₡682

48.68%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

82.99%

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

$23.0K €20.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.30%

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

$282 €251

$96.3 ₡43.2K

192.54%

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

$24.44 €21.74

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-31.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.21 €43.77

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-8.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 €52.5

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-17.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 €21.33

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-31.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.68 €14.83

$7.89 ₡3,539

111.41%

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

$2,374 €2,112

$494 ₡221.6K

380.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,848 €6,981

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-33.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 €52.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

8.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.85 €39.01

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €80.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €125

$79.6 ₡35.7K

76.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 €1,458

$788 ₡353.4K

108.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 €1,047

$794 ₡356.2K

48.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 €2,129

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 €1,678

$1,419 ₡636.5K

32.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,963 €5,304

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-13.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,301 €5,605

$1,224 ₡549.0K

414.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,538 €4,037

$864 ₡387.3K

425.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

8.62

-50.12%

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

Last update for Bussum: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bussum

$1.2K 46%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.5% $383

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bussum

$355 13.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.7% $170

Eating Out

Bussum

$352 13.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.9% $140

Groceries & Markets

Bussum

$306 12%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Bussum

$150 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.9% $30

Getting Around

Bussum

$123 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 29.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bussum

$92 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.4% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,639 in Bussum and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bussum pays 426% 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: $84.0 in Bussum vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $352, with Bussum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Bussum

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

8 h behind Bussum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,220

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bussum Nosara 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bussum
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

Bussum vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bussum and Nosara differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,557 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 426% higher in Bussum, 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: $1,639 in Bussum versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,557 per month in Bussum versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 22% less than in Bussum. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,557 in Bussum, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bussum. 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, Bussum 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 39% less than in Bussum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.