Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,499 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
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Nijmegen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,499

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Nijmegen versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Nijmegen $2,499
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,718 in Nijmegen versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Nijmegen $3,718
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,937 in Nijmegen versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Nijmegen $4,937
Nosara $3,712

Living in Nijmegen is roughly 36% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nijmegen 87% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 €22.61

$12.22 ₡5,509

107.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.7 €83.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

55.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.97

$7.54 ₡3,399

77.85%

Cappuccino

$4.17 €3.72

$4.31 ₡1,941

-3.25%

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

$3.95 €3.53

$1.72 ₡773

129.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.35 ₡608

94.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.07

$3.24 ₡1,459

75.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$4.48 ₡2,018

27.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 ₡707

-8.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.77

$3.17 ₡1,429

-37.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.42 ₡1,091

-2.89%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$3.57 ₡1,609

50.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 €11.59

$7.43 ₡3,349

74.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.59 €13.02

$10.42 ₡4,697

40.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 €13.84

$13.66 ₡6,156

13.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.32 ₡1,044

18.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.61 ₡728

51.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$4.74 ₡2,138

-58.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 €4.84

$1.66 ₡747

226.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.72 ₡1,679

-45.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$3.57 ₡1,611

-33.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.10 ₡497

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.55 ₡1,149

-70.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.76

$4.95 ₡2,232

188.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 €6.48

$20.01 ₡9,020

-63.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.79 ₡1,256

-46.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$3.53 ₡1,589

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 €3.10

$1.19 ₡537

191.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 €127

$72.1 ₡32.5K

97.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 €3.68

$2.24 ₡1,011

83.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.55 ₡701

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$8.86 ₡3,993

397.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.57 ₡708

49.68%

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

$40.7K €36.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

86.83%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

11.13%

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

$282 €252

$93.5 ₡42.1K

202.01%

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

$23.08 €20.60

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-34.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.32 €36.87

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-19.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 €27.09

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-57.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.10 €22.40

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-29.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.85

$7.84 ₡3,535

97.96%

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

$2,788 €2,488

$490 ₡220.7K

469.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

44.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 €87.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

83.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.80 €39.09

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

33.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 €153

$78.9 ₡35.6K

117.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,338

$786 ₡354.3K

90.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €923

$780 ₡351.6K

32.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,367 €2,113

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-38.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,483

$1,407 ₡634.4K

18.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,492 €4,901

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-21.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,242 €3,785

$1,201 ₡541.3K

253.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,457 €3,085

$876 ₡395.0K

294.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: 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

Nijmegen

$1K 41.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 24.6% $254

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$359 14.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 41.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$347 13.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 48.1% $167

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$339 13.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$189 7.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 36.2% $68

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$176 7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 50.6% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$61 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,499 in Nijmegen and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 295% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $94.0 in Nijmegen vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $339 vs $350, with Nijmegen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

8 h behind Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

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

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Between locations

Nijmegen Nosara 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
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

Nijmegen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 295% higher in Nijmegen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,499 in Nijmegen versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $94.0 in Nijmegen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,499 per month in Nijmegen versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,499 in Nijmegen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Nijmegen. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nijmegen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nijmegen and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Nijmegen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.