Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Geel

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,052 in Geel, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Geel
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Geel Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Geel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,052

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Geel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,052 in Geel.

Nosara $1,839
Geel $2,052

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,931 in Geel.

Nosara $2,828
Geel $2,931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,810 in Geel.

Nosara $3,818
Geel $3,810

Living in Nosara costs roughly 10% less than in Geel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Geel 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$18.72 €16.65

-34.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$75.6 €67.2

-19.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.77 €9.58

-30.18%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.84 €3.42

14.84%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.62 €2.33

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.05 €2.71

-57.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.43 €3.94

-25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.30 €2.93

35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.35 €1.20

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.70 €2.40

11.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.69 €2.39

-6.69%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.17 €4.60

-30.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.98 €16.00

-58.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$13.36 €11.88

-21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$21.62 €19.23

-35.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.98 €2.65

-21.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.35 €2.09

-31.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.82 €2.51

70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.07 €3.62

-60.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.47 €2.20

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.13 €1.90

73.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.82 €1.62

-37.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.76 €0.67

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.24 €11.78

-60.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.68 €7.72

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.59 €2.30

11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.10 €2.75

17.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.39 €3.01

-66.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$70.4 €62.6

3.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.87 €2.55

-25.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.23 €1.98

-29.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$39.84 €35.44

-78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.79 €1.60

-15.08%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.9K €21.2K

-9.53%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.1K €30.3K

1.26%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$169 €151

-43.14%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$21.76 €19.36

64.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$52.5 €46.69

2.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$39.54 €35.17

81.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$16.73 €14.88

-52.84%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,615 €1,437

-69.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$36.1K €32.1K

-67.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$100 €89.3

-46.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$45.86 €40.79

20.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 €98.0

-29.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$144 €128

-44.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,037 €923

-24.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$795 €708

-0.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,042 €927

278.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$950 €845

49.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,922 €3,488

76.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,388 €3,014

-63.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,410 €2,144

-64.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

187.33%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Geel: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Geel

$795 38.8% 0.1% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Geel

$383 18.7% 8.6% $30

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Geel

$280 13.6% 32% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Geel

$244 11.9% 31.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Geel

$180 8.8% 50% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Geel

$73 3.6% 16.4% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Geel

$98 4.8% 12.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,037 in Geel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Geel pays 179% 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 $76.0 in Geel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $383 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇪 Geel

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

40,781

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Geel 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Geel

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 Geel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Geel differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $2,052 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Geel. 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 $1,037 in Geel. 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 $76.0 in Geel. 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 $2,052 in Geel – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,052 in Geel, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Geel. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Geel 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 12% less than in Geel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.