Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Drachten

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,483 in Drachten, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Drachten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,483 in Drachten.

Nosara $1,839
Drachten $2,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,657 in Drachten.

Nosara $2,828
Drachten $3,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,831 in Drachten.

Nosara $3,818
Drachten $4,831

Living in Nosara costs roughly 26% less than in Drachten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Drachten 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$24.26 €21.58

-49.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$84.3 €75.0

-27.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.55 €12.05

-44.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.98 €3.54

10.80%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.62 €3.22

-51.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.10 €2.75

-57.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.74 €5.11

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.68 €5.05

-21.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.16 €1.03

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.34 €1.19

125.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.59 €1.41

57.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.00 €4.45

-28.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.45 €11.07

-40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$13.26 €11.80

-20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.08 €10.74

15.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.86 €1.66

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.49 €2.22

-35.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.89 €1.68

153.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.14 €2.79

-48.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.64 €1.45

131.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.58 €1.41

133.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 €1.14

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.65 €0.57

309.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$8.96 €7.97

-42.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.86 €6.10

189.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.47 €1.31

97.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.65 €2.35

36.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.38 €3.00

-66.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$90.0 €80.1

-19.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.19 €3.73

-48.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.05 €2.71

-48.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$49.31 €43.86

-82.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.27 €2.01

-33.04%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.5K €36.9K

-47.97%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.3K €33.2K

-7.40%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$276 €246

-65.15%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.01 €21.35

49.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$49.46 €44.00

8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.09 €36.55

74.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.13 €19.68

57.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$16.02 €14.25

-50.75%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,305 €2,050

-78.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,889 €7,018

50.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$59.0 €52.5

-8.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$44.14 €39.26

25.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$87.4 €77.7

-10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$136 €121

-41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,430 €1,272

-44.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,155 €1,027

-31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,384 €2,120

65.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,900 €1,690

-25.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,428 €4,829

27.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,379 €3,895

-72.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,515 €2,237

-65.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.3

100.47%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Drachten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5% 45.4% $361

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Drachten

$286 11.5% 18.8% $66

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Drachten

$349 14.1% 64.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Drachten

$350 14.1% 88.3% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Drachten

$147 5.9% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Drachten

$73 3% 16.3% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Drachten

$123 5% 41.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,430 in Drachten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays 191% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $84.0 in Drachten. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $286, with Drachten cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇱 Drachten

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

04:00 4:00 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

45,186

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Drachten 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Drachten

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 Drachten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 191% lower in Drachten. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,430 in Drachten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $2,305 in Drachten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Drachten pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,483 in Drachten, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Drachten. 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 Drachten, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Drachten 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 35% less than in Drachten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.