Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hengelo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,177 in Hengelo, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,177

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,177 per month in Hengelo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Hengelo $2,177
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,553 per month in Hengelo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Hengelo $3,553
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,929 per month in Hengelo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Hengelo $4,929
Nosara $3,818

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

Both Hengelo and Nosara sit above the global median – Hengelo by 61%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.04

$12.35 ₡5,539

82.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 €75.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

38.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.52 ₡3,373

76.60%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.76

$4.41 ₡1,978

-4.31%

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

$3.68 €3.27

$1.74 ₡780

111.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.31 ₡587

125.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.30

$3.28 ₡1,471

81.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$4.47 ₡2,004

39.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.56 ₡701

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 €2.20

$3.02 ₡1,355

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

5.98%

Eggs

$4.47 €3.98

$3.57 ₡1,603

25.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.90 €12.36

$7.43 ₡3,333

87.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$10.52 ₡4,717

33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 €13.41

$13.97 ₡6,265

7.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.35 ₡1,052

15.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.61 ₡720

40.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$1.61 ₡724

129.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.80 ₡1,703

-52.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.69 ₡1,657

-49.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.13 ₡507

7.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 €12.30

$5.18 ₡2,321

166.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 €6.00

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.90 ₡1,300

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.63 ₡1,626

-26.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.97 €4.42

$1.12 ₡504

343.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 €79.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

23.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 €3.29

$2.14 ₡958

72.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.57 ₡703

64.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.04 €39.18

$8.52 ₡3,823

416.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.52 ₡682

65.79%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

92.87%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

11.14%

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

$268 €238

$96.3 ₡43.2K

177.90%

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

$21.33 €18.97

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-40.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.40 €42.16

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-11.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.43 €27.07

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-57.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.24 €22.45

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-27.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$7.89 ₡3,539

101.90%

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

$1,191 €1,059

$494 ₡221.6K

140.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,985 €7,102

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

72.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.24 €39.35

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

21.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$79.6 ₡35.7K

58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,155

$788 ₡353.4K

64.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €734

$794 ₡356.2K

3.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,394 €2,130

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,919 €1,707

$1,419 ₡636.5K

35.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,259 €4,677

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-23.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,427 €3,937

$1,224 ₡549.0K

261.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,630 €2,340

$864 ₡387.3K

204.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

8.62

-51.28%

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

Last update for Hengelo: 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

Hengelo

$825 37.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 3.7% $30

Eating Out

Hengelo

$340 15.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hengelo

$336 15.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 44.8% $151

Groceries & Markets

Hengelo

$327 15%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Hengelo

$161 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.5% $41

Getting Around

Hengelo

$126 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 31.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Hengelo

$62 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,298 in Hengelo 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 205% higher in Hengelo, 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 $85.0 in Hengelo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Hengelo vs $352 in Nosara – so Hengelo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

01:48 1:48 AM

8 h behind Hengelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,140

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Hengelo Nosara 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hengelo
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

Hengelo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,177 in Hengelo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,265 per month in Hengelo 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Hengelo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Hengelo and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Hengelo at $2,177. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hengelo 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 $2,177 in Hengelo. 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, Hengelo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.