Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,130 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,130

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,130 per month in Mortsel vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Mortsel $2,130
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,214 per month in Mortsel vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Mortsel $3,214
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,298 per month in Mortsel vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Mortsel $4,298
Nosara $3,814

Mortsel costs about 16% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mortsel and Nosara sit above the global median – Mortsel by 57%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.53

$12.34 ₡5,535

77.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

73.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.80

$7.76 ₡3,481

70.88%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.77

$4.44 ₡1,992

-4.50%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$1.79 ₡803

88.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.29 ₡580

126.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 €4.74

$3.24 ₡1,451

64.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.43 ₡1,985

26.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.55 ₡696

-12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 €2.45

$3.08 ₡1,380

-10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.53 ₡1,133

-14.62%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.55

$3.45 ₡1,546

15.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 €15.47

$7.32 ₡3,284

137.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$10.24 ₡4,594

16.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.09 €20.54

$14.10 ₡6,326

63.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.29 ₡1,027

20.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.64 ₡737

42.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$4.79 ₡2,149

-44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.64 ₡735

73.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.85 ₡1,727

-43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$3.75 ₡1,681

-49.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.09 ₡488

24.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$2.59 ₡1,160

-61.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.18 €11.72

$5.12 ₡2,295

157.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 €7.82

$19.92 ₡8,931

-55.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.52 ₡1,580

-35.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.69

$1.22 ₡549

147.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 €52.5

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-20.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.95

$2.17 ₡973

156.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.56 ₡698

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.72 €21.98

$8.67 ₡3,886

185.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.55 ₡697

32.26%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.75%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-13.35%

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

$221 €197

$94.8 ₡42.5K

133.59%

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

$20.75 €18.46

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-42.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.34 €41.22

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-12.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.60 €31.66

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-51.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 €17.64

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-44.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 €13.42

$7.91 ₡3,548

90.77%

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

$565 €502

$490 ₡219.9K

15.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K €18.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

76.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.0

$54.8 ₡24.6K

101.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.79 €42.51

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-14.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$80.4 ₡36.0K

29.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$77.9 ₡34.9K

90.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$801 ₡359.1K

14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 €722

$790 ₡354.1K

2.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,251

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-64.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 €1,062

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-15.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,134 €3,677

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-41.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,946 €2,620

$1,236 ₡554.3K

138.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,323 €2,066

$887 ₡397.6K

162.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.62

-59.86%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mortsel

$812 38.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 2.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 2.6% $9.4

Eating Out

Mortsel

$329 15.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 35.4% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$289 13.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 36.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$185 8.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 34.4% $64

Getting Around

Mortsel

$90 4.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 1.7% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$66 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 36.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Mortsel versus $801 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 162% higher in Mortsel, 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 $106 in Mortsel versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

8 h behind Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Mortsel Nosara 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

Mortsel vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mortsel is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,194 per month in Mortsel and $2,753 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.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Mortsel, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Mortsel and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Mortsel at $2,130. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mortsel 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, Mortsel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.