Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gouda and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,472 in Gouda, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Gouda
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Gouda Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Gouda

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,472

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,472 per month in Gouda vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Gouda $2,472
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,894 per month in Gouda vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Gouda $3,894
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,316 per month in Gouda vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Gouda $5,316
Nosara $3,818

Gouda costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gouda and Nosara sit above the global median – Gouda by 83%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.11

$12.35 ₡5,539

55.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 €80.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

47.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.22 €13.54

$7.52 ₡3,373

102.39%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.41 ₡1,978

0.91%

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

$3.43 €3.05

$1.74 ₡780

97.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.73

$1.31 ₡587

134.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 €7.07

$3.28 ₡1,471

142.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 €5.19

$4.47 ₡2,004

30.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.56 ₡701

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.51 ₡1,125

2.39%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.08

$3.57 ₡1,603

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.93

$7.43 ₡3,333

95.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.52 ₡4,717

22.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.62 €14.78

$13.97 ₡6,265

18.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.35 ₡1,052

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.61 ₡720

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.80 ₡2,152

-58.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 €3.24

$1.61 ₡724

126.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-54.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$3.69 ₡1,657

-48.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 €11.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

158.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$3.63 ₡1,626

-30.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 €3.14

$1.12 ₡504

215.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.2 €74.0

$72.6 ₡32.6K

14.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.14 ₡958

60.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.30 €2.93

$1.57 ₡703

110.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 €19.57

$8.52 ₡3,823

158.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.52 ₡682

57.24%

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

$41.9K €37.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

94.13%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.49%

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

$274 €244

$96.3 ₡43.2K

184.86%

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

$15.23 €13.55

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-57.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.04 €43.62

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-8.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 €52.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-17.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.27 €21.59

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-30.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.77 €13.14

$7.89 ₡3,539

87.20%

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

$1,751 €1,558

$494 ₡221.6K

254.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

12.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 €84.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

76.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.29 €37.62

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

34.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$79.6 ₡35.7K

75.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 €1,588

$788 ₡353.4K

126.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €978

$794 ₡356.2K

38.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-28.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 €2,011

$1,419 ₡636.5K

59.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,355 €4,763

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$1,224 ₡549.0K

257.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,477 €2,203

$864 ₡387.3K

186.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

8.62

-60.56%

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

Last update for Gouda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gouda

$1.1K 44.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 27.8% $306

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gouda

$339 13.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 45.1% $153

Eating Out

Gouda

$330 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.9% $119

Groceries & Markets

Gouda

$325 13.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Gouda

$172 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30.1% $52

Getting Around

Gouda

$117 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 25.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Gouda

$89 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Gouda versus $788 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 187% higher in Gouda, 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 $90.0 in Gouda versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Gouda vs $352 in Nosara – so Gouda wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Gouda

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

21:22 9:22 PM

8 h behind Gouda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,427

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

Gouda Nosara 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Gouda
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

Gouda vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gouda costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,707 per month in Gouda and $2,758 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Gouda and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,472 in Gouda and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Gouda at $2,472. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gouda it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,472 in Gouda. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Gouda makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.