Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Arlon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,039 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arlon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Arlon

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 Arlon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,039 in Arlon, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Arlon $2,039

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,127 in Arlon, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Arlon $3,127

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,215 in Arlon, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Arlon $4,215

Nosara is about 10% cheaper than Arlon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nosara and Arlon sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Arlon by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.62 €14.79

-25.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$90.7 €80.7

-32.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.24 €9.99

-33.10%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.73 €2.42

61.54%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.68 €2.39

-35.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.63 €2.34

-50.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.44 €3.06

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.51 €4.02

-0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 €1.06

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.52 €1.35

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.36 €2.10

6.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.74 €3.33

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.70 €13.07

-49.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.59 €10.31

-9.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.78 €13.15

-5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.01 €2.67

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.08 €0.96

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.24 €1.99

114.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.01 €2.68

-46.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.63 €1.45

133.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.05 €1.83

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.78 €1.58

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.10 €0.97

141.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.16 €8.15

-43.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.84 €6.98

153.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.96 €1.74

47.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.10 €0.98

230.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.25 €2.00

-50.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$40.97 €36.44

77.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.97 €3.53

-46.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.66 €2.36

-40.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.65 €14.81

-48.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.92 €1.71

-20.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.9K €31.0K

-38.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.8K €30.0K

2.24%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$266 €237

-63.85%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.65 €21.93

45.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$51.2 €45.51

4.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.08 €21.42

44.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.73 €7.76

-9.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$851 €757

-41.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$84.2 €74.9

-35.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$50.9 €45.27

8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$50.9 €45.30

52.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$113 €100

-29.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$896 €797

-12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$930 €827

-14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,694 €1,506

132.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,698 €1,510

-16.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,263 €3,792

62.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,961 €3,523

-69.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,890 €2,570

-70.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.65

136.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arlon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Arlon

$930 45.6% 17.1% $136

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Arlon

$300 14.7% 14.7% $52

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Arlon

$247 12.1% 16.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Arlon

$342 16.8% 84.2% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Arlon

$134 6.6% 12% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Arlon

$17 * 0.9% 80% $70

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Arlon

$67 3.3% 22.8% $20

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 $896 in Arlon. 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 235% higher in Arlon, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $91.0 in Arlon. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $300 in Arlon – so Arlon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇪 Arlon

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

28,759

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Arlon 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Arlon

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 Arlon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlon costs about 11% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $3,058 in Arlon. 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 $1,839 in Nosara and $2,039 in Arlon. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 77% 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 $1,839, than in Arlon at $2,039. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,039 in Arlon. 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, Arlon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.