Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Amersfoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Amersfoort: $1,065 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Amersfoort
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Amersfoort Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Amersfoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Amersfoort

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Amersfoort actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,065 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Amersfoort $1,065

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,645 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Amersfoort $1,645

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,224 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Amersfoort $2,224

Nosara costs about 73% more than Amersfoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Amersfoort is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.82 R 145

40.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$36.82 R 607

66.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.49 R 90.4

36.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.30 R 37.85

91.74%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.05 R 17.24

65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.83 R 13.65

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.49 R 41.07

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.12 R 51.4

43.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.20 R 19.84

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.13 R 18.59

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.76 R 29.04

42.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.26 R 37.27

57.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.20 R 69.2

76.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.96 R 81.8

112.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.26 R 70.1

227.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.78 R 29.34

32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.59 R 26.23

1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.71 R 28.22

180.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.60 R 26.44

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.10 R 18.18

245.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.21 R 20.00

204.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.16 R 19.09

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.27 R 20.88

109.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.40 R 23.06

270.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$1.87 R 30.87

963.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.52 R 25.06

90.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.96 R 32.34

85.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.47 R 24.22

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.29 R 4.75

637.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.80 R 13.12

96.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.19 R 234

-39.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.50 R 24.64

1.33%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.1K R 594.4K

-40.11%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.9K R 558.8K

1.77%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$152 R 2,508

-36.74%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$37.26 R 614

-3.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.10 R 595

48.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.56 R 520

126.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.91 R 180

219.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.29 R 120

8.23%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$266 R 4,381

85.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,365 R 88.4K

121.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.4 R 863

3.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.89 R 525

73.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$92.3 R 1,520

-15.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$81.7 R 1,347

-2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$396 R 6,518

99.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$362 R 5,972

119.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$725 R 11.9K

443.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$730 R 12.0K

94.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$863 R 14.2K

700.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$656 R 10.8K

86.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.34

-23.99%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Amersfoort: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Amersfoort

$362 34% 54.4% $432

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Amersfoort

$164 15.4% 53.5% $188

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Amersfoort

$141 13.2% 33.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Amersfoort

$226 21.2% 21.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Amersfoort

$116 10.9% 3.2% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Amersfoort

$46 4.3% 47.2% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Amersfoort

$10 * 1% 88.3% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $396 in Amersfoort. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $37.00 in Amersfoort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $164 – making Amersfoort the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Amersfoort

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,335

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Amersfoort 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Amersfoort

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

Nosara vs Amersfoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 73% more than Amersfoort, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,598 in Amersfoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Amersfoort, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $37.00 in Amersfoort. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 115% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Amersfoort, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Amersfoort it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Amersfoort costs $1,065 versus $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Amersfoort. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.