Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lelystad

For one person, living is cheaper in Lelystad: $1,716 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lelystad

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,716 in Lelystad, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Lelystad $1,716

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,666 in Lelystad, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Lelystad $2,666

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,616 in Lelystad, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Lelystad $3,616

Nosara costs about 7% more than Lelystad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Lelystad sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Lelystad by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.35 €19.88

-44.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$85.3 €75.9

-28.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.13 €11.68

-42.73%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.23 €3.76

4.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.61 €2.32

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.32 €2.07

-43.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.40 €4.80

-39.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.51 €4.01

-0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.25 €1.11

24.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.61 €1.43

87.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.43 €2.16

3.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.39 €3.91

-18.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.65 €5.91

11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$14.17 €12.61

-25.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$16.69 €14.85

-16.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.22 €1.97

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.49 €2.21

-35.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.86 €1.65

158.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.41 €3.03

-52.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.67 €1.49

127.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.74 €1.55

112.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.27 €1.13

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.80 €0.71

232.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.62 €8.56

-46.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.50 €5.78

205.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.33 €1.19

118.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.52 €2.24

44.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$111 €99.0

-34.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.85 €3.43

-44.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.65 €2.36

-40.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.29 €23.38

-67.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.16 €1.92

-29.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.7K €30.0K

-35.94%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.4K €34.1K

-10.06%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$245 €218

-60.75%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.38 €12.79

149.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$32.80 €29.17

63.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.98 €37.34

70.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.57 €12.07

-41.86%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,772 €2,466

-82.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,022 €7,136

47.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$95.9 €85.3

-43.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.95 €43.54

13.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$93.4 €83.1

-16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$113 €100

-29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$674 €600

16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$448 €399

77.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,337 €1,190

194.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$775 €689

83.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,390 €2,126

-63.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.23

166.87%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lelystad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lelystad

$448 26.1% 43.6% $346

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lelystad

$295 17.2% 16.2% $57

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lelystad

$325 18.9% 53.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lelystad

$292 17% 57.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lelystad

$158 9.2% 31.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lelystad

$69 4% 20.9% $18

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5% 47.3% $41

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 $674 in Lelystad. 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 177% higher in Lelystad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $85.0 in Lelystad. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $295 in Lelystad – so Lelystad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

78,598

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lelystad 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lelystad

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 Lelystad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 7% more than Lelystad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,574 in Lelystad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lelystad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $85.0 in Lelystad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,716 in Lelystad. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lelystad, where all-in costs run around $1,716, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lelystad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lelystad costs $1,716 versus $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Lelystad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.