Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maastricht and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,528 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Maastricht
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Maastricht Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Maastricht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,528

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,528 per month in Maastricht vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Maastricht $2,528
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,646 per month in Maastricht vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Maastricht $3,646
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,764 per month in Maastricht vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Maastricht $4,764
Nosara $3,712

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

Both Maastricht and Nosara sit above the global median – Maastricht by 89%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.54 €18.33

$12.22 ₡5,509

68.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

49.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.89

$7.54 ₡3,399

61.80%

Cappuccino

$4.44 €3.96

$4.31 ₡1,941

3.02%

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

$3.88 €3.47

$1.72 ₡773

125.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.35 ₡608

132.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.64 €7.71

$3.24 ₡1,459

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.13

$4.48 ₡2,018

28.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.57 ₡707

-20.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.24

$3.17 ₡1,429

-20.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$2.42 ₡1,091

12.81%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$3.57 ₡1,609

30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.86 €13.26

$7.43 ₡3,349

100.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 €12.37

$10.42 ₡4,697

33.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.76 €14.06

$13.66 ₡6,156

15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.32 ₡1,044

15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.61 ₡728

50.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$4.74 ₡2,138

-60.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.86

$1.66 ₡747

160.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$3.72 ₡1,679

-47.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$3.57 ₡1,611

-32.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.10 ₡497

20.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$2.55 ₡1,149

-67.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.41

$4.95 ₡2,232

181.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.09

$20.01 ₡9,020

-65.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.79 ₡1,256

-47.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.53 ₡1,589

-24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.77

$1.19 ₡537

160.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 €79.7

$72.1 ₡32.5K

23.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.17 €9.96

$2.24 ₡1,011

398.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 €2.87

$1.55 ₡701

107.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.07 €25.05

$8.86 ₡3,993

216.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.57 ₡708

54.14%

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

$41.1K €36.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

88.45%

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

$40.0K €35.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

15.35%

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

$295 €263

$93.5 ₡42.1K

215.79%

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

$17.39 €15.52

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-50.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.97 €43.70

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.12 €41.16

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.45 €25.39

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-19.72%

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 €13.91

$7.84 ₡3,535

98.85%

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

$1,245 €1,111

$490 ₡220.7K

154.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-5.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 €72.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

52.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 €34.08

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-31.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$79.3 ₡35.7K

42.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$78.9 ₡35.6K

63.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 €1,145

$786 ₡354.3K

63.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,016

$780 ₡351.6K

45.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 €1,885

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-45.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 €1,496

$1,407 ₡634.4K

19.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,385 €4,805

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-22.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 €3,169

$1,201 ₡541.3K

195.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,251 €2,901

$876 ₡395.0K

270.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

8.62

-48.72%

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

Last update for Maastricht: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Maastricht

$1.1K 44.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 31.5% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maastricht

$361 14.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 50.2% $181

Groceries & Markets

Maastricht

$338 13.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Maastricht

$337 13.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 37.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Maastricht

$163 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 26.1% $43

Getting Around

Maastricht

$129 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Maastricht

$77 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.7% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,284 in Maastricht versus $786 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 271% higher in Maastricht, 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 $90.0 in Maastricht versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Maastricht vs $350 in Nosara – so Maastricht wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Maastricht

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

21:28 9:28 PM

8 h behind Maastricht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,105

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maastricht Nosara 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Maastricht
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

Maastricht vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maastricht costs about 38% more than Nosara, 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 $3,791 per month in Maastricht and $2,756 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,528 in Maastricht and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Maastricht at $2,528. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maastricht it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $2,528 in Maastricht. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maastricht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.