Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Best

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,217 in Best, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Best $2,217

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,095 in Best, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Best $3,095

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,973 in Best, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Best $3,973

Nosara is about 17% cheaper than Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Best sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Best by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$22.31 €19.91

-45.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$86.5 €77.2

-30.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$12.25 €10.94

-38.45%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.65 €3.26

18.08%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$3.26 €2.91

-47.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.48 €2.21

-45.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.77 €5.15

-43.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.90 €4.37

-8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.13 €1.01

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.89 €1.69

67.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.22 €1.98

9.01%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.12 €2.79

14.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.28 €10.07

-34.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$11.49 €10.26

-9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$14.84 €13.24

-7.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.01 €1.80

15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.60 €1.43

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.73 €1.54

173.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.95 €4.41

-66.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.17 €1.04

217.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.19 €1.06

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.11 €0.99

-0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.71 €0.63

259.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$11.21 €10.01

-55.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.55 €4.95

260.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.51 €1.34

84.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.50 €2.23

41.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$2.48 €2.22

-52.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$70.9 €63.3

1.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.94 €3.52

-43.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.89 €2.57

-46.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$29.72 €26.52

-70.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.35 €2.09

-33.19%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$25.6K €22.9K

-14.97%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.0K €30.3K

1.93%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$185 €165

-49.51%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.56 €12.99

141.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$37.61 €33.56

36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$40.32 €35.98

77.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$25.33 €22.60

39.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$13.97 €12.47

-43.88%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$1,298 €1,158

-62.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,115 €4,564

132.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$51.7 €46.13

3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$32.89 €29.35

69.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$74.5 €66.5

6.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$57.9 €51.7

36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,544 €1,378

-49.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,100 €982

-29.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,975 €1,763

95.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,352 €1,206

4.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$5,221 €4,659

33.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$4,354 €3,886

-72.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$4,077 €3,639

-78.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.54

143.50%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Best

$1.1K 49.9% 41.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Best

$281 12.8% 19.6% $68

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Best

$321 14.6% 53.1% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Best

$237 10.8% 31.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Best

$98 4.4% 18.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Best

$68 3.1% 21.6% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Best

$99 4.5% 14.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,544 in Best. 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 365% higher in Best, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $86.0 in Best. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $281 in Best – so Best wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

29,988

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Best 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Best

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 Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $3,325 in Best. 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 $1,837 in Nosara and $2,217 in Best. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 2% 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 $1,837, than in Best at $2,217. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best 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, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.