Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,039 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,039 in Diest versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Diest $2,039
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,023 in Diest versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Diest $3,023
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Diest versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Diest $4,006
Nosara $3,818

Living in Diest is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Diest 51% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.41 €19.93

$12.35 ₡5,539

81.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

48.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.58

$7.52 ₡3,373

58.11%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

-18.82%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.74 ₡780

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.31 ₡587

98.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 €4.81

$3.28 ₡1,471

64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$4.47 ₡2,004

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.02 ₡1,355

-10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.51 ₡1,125

-10.36%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.30

$3.57 ₡1,603

3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$7.43 ₡3,333

137.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.17 €17.05

$13.97 ₡6,265

37.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.35 ₡1,052

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.61 ₡720

42.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.61 ₡724

81.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.80 ₡1,703

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$3.69 ₡1,657

-47.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 ₡507

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 €10.01

$5.18 ₡2,321

117.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 €6.89

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.90 ₡1,300

-29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$3.63 ₡1,626

-50.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.12 ₡504

173.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 €5.40

$2.14 ₡958

183.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.57 ₡703

41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.08 €23.20

$8.52 ₡3,823

206.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.52 ₡682

28.29%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.71%

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

$34.0K €30.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-1.59%

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

$203 €180

$96.3 ₡43.2K

110.36%

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

$21.37 €19.01

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-40.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 €46.56

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-2.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.70 €32.65

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-48.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 €17.42

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-43.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.51 €12.91

$7.89 ₡3,539

83.90%

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

$847 €754

$494 ₡221.6K

71.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K €17.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

61.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

89.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.75 €42.47

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-13.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$79.6 ₡35.7K

83.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 €806

$788 ₡353.4K

15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 €737

$794 ₡356.2K

4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 €1,054

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-16.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,762

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-38.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,905 €2,584

$1,224 ₡549.0K

137.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,063 €1,835

$864 ₡387.3K

138.89%

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 Diest: 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

Diest

$828 40.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 4.1% $34

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$345 16.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.3% $7.8

Eating Out

Diest

$316 15.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$276 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$179 8.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$66 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.9% $22

Getting Around

Diest

$29 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 196% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $907 in Diest and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays 139% 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: $91.0 in Diest vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $352, with Diest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

20:23 8:23 PM

8 h behind Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

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

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Between locations

Diest Nosara 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Diest
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

Diest vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Diest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 139% higher in Diest, 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: $907 in Diest versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Diest pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,039 per month in Diest versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,039 in Diest, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Diest. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Diest 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 11% less than in Diest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.