Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lisse

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,540 in Lisse, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Lisse
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Lisse Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lisse

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lisse

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,540 in Lisse, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Lisse $2,540

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,792 in Lisse, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Lisse $3,792

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,045 in Lisse, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Lisse $5,045

Nosara is about 28% cheaper than Lisse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Lisse sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Lisse by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.46 €19.98

-45.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$90.1 €80.2

-32.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.19 €9.06

-26.20%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.67 €3.27

20.16%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.34 €2.97

-47.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.79 €2.48

-53.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.69 €5.95

-50.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.22 €3.76

5.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.50 €1.34

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.32 €2.06

30.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.50 €2.23

0.40%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.53 €4.03

-21.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.77 €13.14

-49.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.84 €11.42

-18.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$19.63 €17.46

-28.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.67 €2.37

-11.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.24 €2.00

-28.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.96 €1.75

144.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.70 €3.29

-56.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.33 €1.18

185.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.32 €1.18

179.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.12 €1.00

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.94 €0.83

182.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$14.44 €12.85

-64.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.82 €5.17

241.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.30 €1.16

123.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.91 €1.70

90.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.38 €3.00

-66.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$91.4 €81.3

-20.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.76 €4.23

-55.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.34 €2.97

-52.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$33.18 €29.51

-74.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.53 €2.25

-39.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$42.0K €37.3K

-48.51%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.7K €35.4K

-13.16%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$279 €248

-65.53%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$28.42 €25.28

26.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$54.2 €48.21

-1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.22 €36.66

73.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$23.89 €21.25

46.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$16.90 €15.03

-53.31%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,468 €2,195

-79.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.0K €10.7K

-1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$97.0 €86.3

-44.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$42.68 €37.97

29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$106 €94.6

-26.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$137 €122

-42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,426 €1,269

-44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,152 €1,025

-31.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,412 €2,145

63.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,947 €1,732

-27.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,445 €4,843

26.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,367 €3,884

-71.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.4

153.53%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisse: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lisse

$1.2K 45.4% 45% $357

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lisse

$331 13% 6% $21

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lisse

$321 12.6% 51.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lisse

$362 14.3% 94.9% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lisse

$173 6.8% 43.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lisse

$75 3% 14.1% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lisse

$126 5% 45.1% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,426 in Lisse. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $90.0 in Lisse. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $331 in Lisse – so Lisse wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇱 Lisse

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

22,995

💱 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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Between locations

Nosara Lisse 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lisse

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 Lisse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisse is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,810 in Lisse. 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.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $2,468 in Lisse. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Lisse – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Lisse at $2,540. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisse 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, Lisse makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.