Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,920 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,920 in Hilversum versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Hilversum $2,920
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,236 in Hilversum versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Hilversum $4,236
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,553 in Hilversum versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Hilversum $5,553
Nosara $3,818

Living in Hilversum is roughly 59% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 116% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.73 €24.67

$12.35 ₡5,539

124.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

29.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.70 €14.85

$7.52 ₡3,373

122.07%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.82

$4.41 ₡1,978

-2.49%

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

$3.92 €3.49

$1.74 ₡780

125.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.31 ₡587

127.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

68.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$4.47 ₡2,004

23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.56 ₡701

16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.02 ₡1,355

-21.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$2.51 ₡1,125

38.25%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.69

$3.57 ₡1,603

47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.72

$7.43 ₡3,333

92.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.89 €12.35

$10.52 ₡4,717

32.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 €14.64

$13.97 ₡6,265

17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.35 ₡1,052

7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.61 ₡720

66.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 €4.63

$1.61 ₡724

223.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.13 ₡507

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.66 ₡1,191

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 €11.21

$5.18 ₡2,321

143.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.63 ₡1,626

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.62 €3.22

$1.12 ₡504

223.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €58.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-9.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.89

$2.14 ₡958

157.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.57 ₡703

119.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.12 €19.67

$8.52 ₡3,823

159.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.52 ₡682

57.24%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

93.54%

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

$42.6K €37.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

23.35%

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

$265 €236

$96.3 ₡43.2K

175.14%

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

$28.28 €25.15

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-21.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 €56.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

17.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-5.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 €29.89

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-3.72%

Cinema Ticket

$16.73 €14.88

$7.89 ₡3,539

112.04%

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

$678 €603

$494 ₡221.6K

37.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €13.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

31.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €100

$53.9 ₡24.2K

109.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 €42.60

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-13.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$79.6 ₡35.7K

77.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$788 ₡353.4K

113.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,274

$794 ₡356.2K

80.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 €2,601

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-25.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,419 ₡636.5K

60.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,800 €6,049

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-1.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,225 €4,648

$1,224 ₡549.0K

326.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,910 €3,478

$864 ₡387.3K

352.78%

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 Hilversum: 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

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.5% $638

Eating Out

Hilversum

$390 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 45.7% $178

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$360 12.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.3% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$356 12.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.9% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$177 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32% $57

Getting Around

Hilversum

$103 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$101 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,683 in Hilversum and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 353% 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: $80.0 in Hilversum vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

8 h behind Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

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

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Between locations

Hilversum Nosara 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilversum
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

Hilversum vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilversum and Nosara differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($2,920 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 353% higher in Hilversum, 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: $1,683 in Hilversum versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 10% less than in Hilversum. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $678 in Hilversum versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,920 in Hilversum, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Hilversum. 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, Hilversum 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 59% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.