Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Spakenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,665 in Spakenburg, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Spakenburg
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Spakenburg Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Spakenburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Spakenburg

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,665 in Spakenburg, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Spakenburg $2,665

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,763 in Spakenburg, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Spakenburg $3,763

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,862 in Spakenburg, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Spakenburg $4,862

Nosara is about 31% cheaper than Spakenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Spakenburg sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Spakenburg by 97%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.49 €20.00

-45.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$84.7 €75.3

-27.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.22 €11.76

-43.12%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.95 €3.52

11.65%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.86 €3.44

-54.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.22 €2.86

-59.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.87 €6.12

-52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.16 €5.48

-27.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 €1.05

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.61 €1.43

87.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.52 €2.24

-0.40%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.84 €4.30

-26.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.72 €11.31

-41.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$14.44 €12.84

-27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$19.16 €17.04

-27.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.94 €1.73

21.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.41 €2.15

-33.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.83 €1.63

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.32 €3.84

-62.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.73 €1.54

119.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.85 €1.64

99.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.32 €1.17

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.78 €0.70

241.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.72 €12.20

-62.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.54 €5.82

203.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.35 €1.20

114.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.65 €2.36

36.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.42 €3.04

-67.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$90.5 €80.5

-19.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.68 €3.28

-41.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.73 €2.43

-42.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$29.11 €25.89

-70.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.48 €2.20

-38.71%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.6K €37.0K

-48.07%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.7K €34.4K

-10.78%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$246 €219

-60.90%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.07 €19.63

62.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$48.15 €42.83

11.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.71 €37.10

71.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$23.85 €21.21

46.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$15.57 €13.85

-49.33%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,346 €2,087

-78.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,917 €7,042

49.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$96.2 €85.6

-43.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$45.43 €40.41

21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.7 €78.9

-12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$123 €109

-35.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,243 €1,106

-36.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,326 €1,179

-40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,637 €1,456

140.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,859 €1,654

-23.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,513 €4,015

53.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,697 €3,289

-66.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,878 €2,560

-69.99%

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 Spakenburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Spakenburg

$1.3K 49.8% 66.9% $531

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Spakenburg

$327 12.3% 7.2% $25

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Spakenburg

$342 12.8% 61.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Spakenburg

$316 11.9% 70.4% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Spakenburg

$159 6% 32.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Spakenburg

$73 2.7% 16.6% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Spakenburg

$122 4.6% 39.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,243 in Spakenburg. 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 233% higher in Spakenburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $85.0 in Spakenburg. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $327 in Spakenburg – so Spakenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇱 Spakenburg

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

03:45 3:45 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

4,375

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Spakenburg 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Spakenburg

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 Spakenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,665 in Spakenburg – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,997 in Spakenburg. 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.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $2,346 in Spakenburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Spakenburg at $2,665. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Spakenburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,665 in Spakenburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Spakenburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.