Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hasselt and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,005 in Hasselt, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Hasselt
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Hasselt Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hasselt

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,005

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,005 per month in Hasselt vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Hasselt $2,005
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,025 per month in Hasselt vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Hasselt $3,025
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,045 per month in Hasselt vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Hasselt $4,045
Nosara $3,818

Hasselt costs about 9% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hasselt and Nosara sit above the global median – Hasselt by 48%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.57 €20.14

$12.35 ₡5,547

82.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.7

$61.2 ₡27.5K

66.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €12.03

$7.52 ₡3,377

79.26%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.27

$4.41 ₡1,981

-16.78%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$1.74 ₡781

110.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 €2.85

$1.31 ₡588

144.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 €4.57

$3.28 ₡1,473

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 €5.00

$4.47 ₡2,007

25.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.56 ₡702

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.25

$3.02 ₡1,357

-16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.51 ₡1,127

-11.16%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$3.57 ₡1,605

-7.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 €7.08

$7.43 ₡3,338

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.52 €10.28

$10.52 ₡4,724

9.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.13 €20.65

$13.97 ₡6,274

65.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.35 ₡1,054

-14.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.61 ₡721

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$4.80 ₡2,155

-46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.61 ₡725

60.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$3.80 ₡1,706

-52.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$3.69 ₡1,659

-64.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.13 ₡507

-6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.66 ₡1,193

-60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$5.18 ₡2,324

151.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 €8.07

$19.88 ₡8,929

-54.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.90 ₡1,302

-44.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$3.63 ₡1,628

-44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.12 ₡505

180.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.49 €29.00

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-55.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 €5.07

$2.14 ₡959

165.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.57 ₡704

69.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.43

$8.52 ₡3,828

326.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.52 ₡683

30.92%

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

$35.6K €31.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.69%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-1.80%

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

$205 €183

$96.3 ₡43.2K

112.48%

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

$19.80 €17.67

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-44.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.52 €41.52

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-13.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 €24.41

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-61.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.17 €8.19

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-73.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 €13.51

$7.89 ₡3,544

91.89%

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

$1,591 €1,420

$494 ₡221.9K

221.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

176.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

103.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.45

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-6.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$77.9 ₡35.0K

32.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$79.6 ₡35.8K

67.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €836

$788 ₡353.9K

18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €708

$794 ₡356.7K

-0.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 €1,289

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,065

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-15.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,517 €4,031

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-34.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 €2,128

$1,224 ₡549.8K

94.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,034 €2,708

$864 ₡387.8K

251.32%

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 Hasselt: 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

Hasselt

$794 39.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0.1% $0.6

Eating Out

Hasselt

$329 16.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.7% $117

Groceries & Markets

Hasselt

$310 15.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 13.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hasselt

$271 13.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Hasselt

$179 8.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 33% $59

Getting Around

Hasselt

$64 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 36% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Hasselt

$58 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 51.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $936 in Hasselt 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 251% higher in Hasselt, 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 $102 in Hasselt versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $310 in Hasselt vs $352 in Nosara – so Hasselt wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Hasselt

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

00:47 12:47 AM

8 h behind Hasselt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,694

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 = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hasselt Nosara 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hasselt
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

Hasselt vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,005 in Hasselt, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,007 per month in Hasselt 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,591 per month in Hasselt and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Hasselt – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Hasselt at $2,005. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hasselt it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,005 in Hasselt. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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