Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Willemstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,022 in Willemstad, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Willemstad despite lower rent and utilities.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Willemstad
Learn more

Willemstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Willemstad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$2,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Willemstad

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,022 in Willemstad, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Willemstad $2,022

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,076 in Willemstad, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Willemstad $3,076

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $4,130 in Willemstad, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Willemstad $4,130

Nosara is about 9% cheaper than Willemstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nosara and Willemstad sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Willemstad by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$18.34 ANG 32.83

-33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$75.5 ANG 135

-20.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.33 ANG 20.29

-33.45%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.61 ANG 6.46

19.39%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$3.01 ANG 5.39

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.80 ANG 3.22

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.57 ANG 9.96

-41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$5.44 ANG 9.75

-17.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.96 ANG 3.51

-19.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.84 ANG 5.08

11.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.57 ANG 6.39

-32.21%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.21 ANG 7.53

-15.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$16.87 ANG 30.19

-55.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$7.04 ANG 12.60

48.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.12 ANG 21.70

12.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$5.40 ANG 9.66

-57.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.12 ANG 5.58

-48.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.29 ANG 5.89

44.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.80 ANG 6.79

-56.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.50 ANG 4.47

48.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.95 ANG 3.49

83.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.39 ANG 4.29

-53.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.85 ANG 5.10

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$10.02 ANG 17.93

-50.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$12.48 ANG 22.33

60.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.39 ANG 4.29

16.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.35 ANG 4.20

50.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.92 ANG 3.44

-38.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$22.17 ANG 39.68

-89.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.38 ANG 2.47

13.77%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$20.6K ANG 36.9K

68.08%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$271 ANG 486

-65.55%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$76.8 ANG 138

-54.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$65.1 ANG 117

-20.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$48.55 ANG 86.9

47.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$43.82 ANG 78.4

-19.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$11.96 ANG 21.41

-34.45%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$323 ANG 578

51.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$12.4K ANG 22.2K

-4.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$103 ANG 185

-48.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$74.7 ANG 134

-25.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$160 ANG 287

-50.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$93.1 ANG 167

-15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$810 ANG 1,450

-2.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$643 ANG 1,151

21.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,742 ANG 3,119

121.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,221 ANG 2,186

15.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$838 ANG 1,500

732.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$170 ANG 305

605.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,279 ANG 2,289

-31.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.97

73.44%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Willemstad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Willemstad

$643 32% 17.5% $137

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Willemstad

$376 18.7% 7.5% $26

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Willemstad

$282 14% 34.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Willemstad

$413 20.6% 130% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Willemstad

$194 9.7% 61.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Willemstad

$72 3.6% 16.8% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Willemstad

$30 * 1.5% 65.6% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $810 in Willemstad. 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 46% higher in Willemstad, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $76.0 in Willemstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $376 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇼 Willemstad

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

140,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Willemstad 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Willemstad

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 Willemstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $2,022 in Willemstad – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $3,033 in Willemstad. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $76.0 in Willemstad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Willemstad, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Willemstad at $2,022. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Willemstad 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,022 in Willemstad. 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, Willemstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.