Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,283 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Middelburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,283

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,283 per month in Middelburg vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Middelburg $2,283
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,354 per month in Middelburg vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Middelburg $3,354
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,425 per month in Middelburg vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Middelburg $4,425
Nosara $3,818

Middelburg costs about 24% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Middelburg and Nosara sit above the global median – Middelburg by 69%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.10 €11.65

$12.35 ₡5,539

6.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

46.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

62.23%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.65

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.80%

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

$3.41 €3.04

$1.74 ₡780

95.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.84

$1.31 ₡587

143.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.01 €6.23

$3.28 ₡1,471

113.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$4.47 ₡2,004

54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.51 ₡1,125

-21.51%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.95

$3.57 ₡1,603

24.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 €10.96

$7.43 ₡3,333

65.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.47

$10.52 ₡4,717

22.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 €17.06

$13.97 ₡6,265

37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.35 ₡1,052

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.61 ₡720

39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$4.80 ₡2,152

-57.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.61 ₡724

120.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-69.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.66 ₡1,191

-65.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.61 €10.32

$5.18 ₡2,321

124.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$19.88 ₡8,916

-70.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.90 ₡1,300

-53.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.63 ₡1,626

-48.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$2.14 ₡958

114.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 €3.08

$1.57 ₡703

120.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 €29.58

$8.52 ₡3,823

290.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$1.52 ₡682

52.63%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

92.84%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.52%

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

$142 €127

$96.3 ₡43.2K

47.79%

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

$28.79 €25.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-19.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 €47.91

$53.6 ₡24.0K

0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 €40.03

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 €12.53

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 €9.02

$7.89 ₡3,539

28.52%

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

$2,381 €2,117

$494 ₡221.6K

381.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-1.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

76.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 €38.93

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-21.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

35.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$79.6 ₡35.7K

75.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$788 ₡353.4K

78.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 €1,081

$794 ₡356.2K

53.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 €1,819

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 €1,667

$1,419 ₡636.5K

32.08%

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)

$4,112 €3,658

$864 ₡387.3K

376.22%

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 Middelburg: 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

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 34.6% $421

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$317 13.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.2% $35

Eating Out

Middelburg

$266 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$225 9.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$173 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$65 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.8% $22

Getting Around

Middelburg

$22 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 298% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in Middelburg 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 376% higher in Middelburg, 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 Middelburg versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $317 in Middelburg vs $352 in Nosara – so Middelburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

08:02 8:02 AM

8 h behind Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,345

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 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

Middelburg Nosara 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

Middelburg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Middelburg is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,425 per month in Middelburg 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,283 in Middelburg and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $2,381 per month in Middelburg and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Middelburg at $2,283. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middelburg 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, Middelburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.