Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lelystad: $1,716 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,716

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,716 per month in Lelystad vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lelystad $1,716
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,666 per month in Lelystad vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lelystad $2,666
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,616 per month in Lelystad vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lelystad $3,616
Nosara $3,818

Lelystad is about 7% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lelystad and Nosara sit above the global median – Lelystad by 27%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

39.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.13 €11.68

$7.52 ₡3,373

74.60%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$4.41 ₡1,978

-4.08%

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

$2.61 €2.32

$1.74 ₡780

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.31 ₡587

77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 €4.80

$3.28 ₡1,471

64.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.56 ₡701

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.51 ₡1,125

-3.19%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 €5.91

$7.43 ₡3,333

-10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 €12.61

$10.52 ₡4,717

34.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 €14.85

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.35 ₡1,052

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.61 ₡720

54.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.61 ₡724

111.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.69 ₡1,657

-52.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.13 ₡507

12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 €8.56

$5.18 ₡2,321

85.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 €5.78

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.90 ₡1,300

-54.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.63 ₡1,626

-30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.0

$72.6 ₡32.6K

53.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.14 ₡958

79.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.57 ₡703

68.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.29 €23.38

$8.52 ₡3,823

208.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.52 ₡682

42.11%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.11%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

11.19%

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

$245 €218

$96.3 ₡43.2K

154.75%

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

$14.38 €12.79

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-59.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.80 €29.17

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.98 €37.34

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-41.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 €12.07

$7.89 ₡3,539

71.99%

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

$2,772 €2,466

$494 ₡221.6K

460.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,022 €7,136

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

77.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 €43.54

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-11.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 €83.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €600

$788 ₡353.4K

-14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 €399

$794 ₡356.2K

-43.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-66.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €689

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-45.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,390 €2,126

$864 ₡387.3K

176.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

8.62

-62.53%

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

Last update for Lelystad: 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

Lelystad

$448 26.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 77.2% $346

Eating Out

Lelystad

$325 18.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.7% $113

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$295 17.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 19.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$292 17%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 36.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24% $38

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 32.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$69 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $674 in Lelystad 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 177% higher in Lelystad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Lelystad versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Lelystad vs $352 in Nosara – so Lelystad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

8 h behind Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

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

Lelystad Nosara 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

Lelystad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 7% more than Lelystad, 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 $2,574 per month in Lelystad 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 Lelystad, 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 $85.0 in Lelystad 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 $1,716 in Lelystad and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lelystad, where all-in costs run around $1,716, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lelystad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lelystad costs $1,716 versus $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Lelystad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.