Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisse and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,540 in Lisse, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Lisse
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Lisse Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lisse

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,540

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,540 per month in Lisse vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lisse $2,540
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,792 per month in Lisse vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lisse $3,792
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,045 per month in Lisse vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lisse $5,045
Nosara $3,818

Lisse costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisse and Nosara sit above the global median – Lisse by 88%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €19.98

$12.35 ₡5,539

81.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 €80.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

47.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 €9.06

$7.52 ₡3,373

35.51%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.27

$4.41 ₡1,978

-16.78%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$1.74 ₡780

91.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.31 ₡587

112.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 €5.95

$3.28 ₡1,471

103.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 €3.76

$4.47 ₡2,004

-5.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 €2.06

$3.02 ₡1,355

-23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.51 ₡1,125

-0.40%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$3.57 ₡1,603

26.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 €13.14

$7.43 ₡3,333

98.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 €11.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.63 €17.46

$13.97 ₡6,265

40.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.35 ₡1,052

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.61 ₡720

39.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$4.80 ₡2,152

-59.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$1.61 ₡724

129.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$3.69 ₡1,657

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.44 €12.85

$5.18 ₡2,321

178.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.82 €5.17

$19.88 ₡8,916

-70.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.90 ₡1,300

-55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 €3.00

$1.12 ₡504

201.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.4 €81.3

$72.6 ₡32.6K

25.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 €4.23

$2.14 ₡958

122.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.57 ₡703

112.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.18 €29.51

$8.52 ₡3,823

289.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.52 ₡682

66.45%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

94.21%

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

$39.7K €35.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

15.15%

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

$279 €248

$96.3 ₡43.2K

190.12%

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

$28.42 €25.28

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-20.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 €48.21

$53.6 ₡24.0K

1.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 €36.66

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 €21.25

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-31.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.90 €15.03

$7.89 ₡3,539

114.20%

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

$2,468 €2,195

$494 ₡221.6K

399.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K €10.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

1.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 €86.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

79.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.68 €37.97

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-22.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

36.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$79.6 ₡35.7K

72.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 €1,269

$788 ₡353.4K

80.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,025

$794 ₡356.2K

45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,412 €2,145

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 €1,732

$1,419 ₡636.5K

37.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,445 €4,843

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-21.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 €3,884

$1,224 ₡549.0K

256.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Lisse: 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

Lisse

$1.2K 45.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 31% $357

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisse

$362 14.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.7% $176

Groceries & Markets

Lisse

$331 13%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.4% $21

Eating Out

Lisse

$321 12.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Lisse

$173 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30.4% $52

Getting Around

Lisse

$126 5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 31.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lisse

$75 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,426 in Lisse 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Lisse versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $331 in Lisse vs $352 in Nosara – so Lisse wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lisse

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

16:39 4:39 PM

8 h behind Lisse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,995

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lisse Nosara 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisse
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

Lisse vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisse is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,810 per month in Lisse 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 $2,468 per month in Lisse 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 6% cheaper in Lisse – 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 Lisse at $2,540. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisse it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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