Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Etten-Leur

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,416 in Etten-Leur, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Etten-Leur
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Etten-Leur Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Etten-Leur

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Etten-Leur

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 Etten-Leur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,416 in Etten-Leur.

Nosara $1,839
Etten-Leur $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,764 in Etten-Leur.

Nosara $2,828
Etten-Leur $3,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $5,113 in Etten-Leur.

Nosara $3,818
Etten-Leur $5,113

Living in Nosara costs roughly 24% less than in Etten-Leur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Etten-Leur 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.50 €20.01

-45.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$95.6 €85.1

-36.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.34 €11.86

-43.63%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.04 €3.59

9.16%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.54 €3.15

-50.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.99 €2.66

-56.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.12 €5.45

-46.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.34 €4.75

-16.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 €1.19

16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.06 €1.83

46.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.50 €2.22

0.40%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.87 €4.33

-26.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.77 €13.14

-49.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$14.40 €12.81

-26.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.13 €16.13

-22.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.68 €2.39

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.38 €2.11

-32.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.82 €1.62

163.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.90 €5.25

-72.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.02 €1.80

88.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.13 €1.89

73.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.36 €1.21

-16.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.73 €0.65

264.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$14.13 €12.57

-63.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.98 €6.21

184.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.51 €1.35

92.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.53 €2.25

43.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.52 €3.13

-68.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$89.5 €79.6

-18.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.40 €3.02

-37.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.65 €1.46

-4.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.17 €19.72

-61.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.37 €2.11

-35.86%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.3K €36.7K

-47.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.9K €33.7K

-8.96%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$190 €169

-49.38%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$26.59 €23.65

34.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$47.04 €41.84

13.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$19.50 €17.35

267.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$26.27 €23.37

32.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$15.18 €13.50

-48.02%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$679 €604

-27.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,341 €4,751

122.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$84.9 €75.5

-36.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$49.65 €44.16

11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$89.3 €79.4

-12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$148 €132

-46.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,340 €1,192

-41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,134 €1,009

-29.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,392 €2,128

64.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,098 €1,866

-32.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,242 €3,773

62.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,330 €3,851

-71.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.89

121.59%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Etten-Leur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Etten-Leur

$1.1K 47% 42.8% $340

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Etten-Leur

$350 14.5% 0.7% $2.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Etten-Leur

$336 13.9% 58.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Etten-Leur

$264 10.9% 42% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Etten-Leur

$167 6.9% 39.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Etten-Leur

$50 2.1% 42.9% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Etten-Leur

$115 4.8% 32.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,340 in Etten-Leur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $96.0 in Etten-Leur. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $350, with Etten-Leur cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇱 Etten-Leur

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

02:05 2:05 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

43,027

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Etten-Leur 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Etten-Leur

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 Etten-Leur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $3,624 in Etten-Leur to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,340 in Etten-Leur. 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 $61.0 versus $96.0 in Etten-Leur. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $2,416 in Etten-Leur – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,416 in Etten-Leur, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Etten-Leur. 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 Etten-Leur, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Etten-Leur 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 31% less than in Etten-Leur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.