Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oldenburg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,960 in Oldenburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oldenburg
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,960
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oldenburg and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oldenburg and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,960 per month in Oldenburg vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Oldenburg $1,960
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,940 per month in Oldenburg vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Oldenburg $2,940
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,920 per month in Oldenburg vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Oldenburg $3,920
  • Nosara $3,818

Oldenburg costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Oldenburg and Nosara sit above the global median – Oldenburg by 45%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.27 €10.02
$12.35 ₡5,539
-8.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.2 €74.9
$61.2 ₡27.4K
37.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.04 €9.82
$7.52 ₡3,373
46.81%
Cappuccino
$3.95 €3.51
$4.41 ₡1,978
-10.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.97 €3.53
$1.74 ₡780
128.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 €2.95
$1.31 ₡587
153.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.15 €4.58
$3.28 ₡1,471
57.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 €3.72
$4.47 ₡2,004
-6.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.18
$1.56 ₡701
-14.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 €1.91
$3.02 ₡1,355
-28.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.67 €3.26
$2.51 ₡1,125
46.22%
Eggs
$3.64 €3.24
$3.57 ₡1,603
1.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.68 €13.06
$7.43 ₡3,333
97.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.01 €10.68
$10.52 ₡4,717
14.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.33 €16.30
$13.97 ₡6,265
31.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.23 €2.87
$2.35 ₡1,052
37.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.61 ₡720
32.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.88
$4.80 ₡2,152
-56.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.45 €3.96
$1.61 ₡724
176.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 €1.11
$3.80 ₡1,703
-67.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$3.69 ₡1,657
-68.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.77 €1.57
$1.13 ₡507
56.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 €0.91
$2.66 ₡1,191
-61.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 €8.79
$5.18 ₡2,321
90.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.56 €5.83
$19.88 ₡8,916
-67.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 €0.90
$2.90 ₡1,300
-65.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.32
$3.63 ₡1,626
-58.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.17 €2.82
$1.12 ₡504
183.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.7 €59.4
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-8.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.02 €5.35
$2.14 ₡958
181.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.57 ₡703
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.52 ₡3,823
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.82
$1.52 ₡682
34.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K €26.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
38.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.2K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
11.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$299 €266
$96.3 ₡43.2K
210.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.52 €29.81
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-6.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.2 €48.20
$53.6 ₡24.0K
1.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.69 €30.85
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-51.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.84 €6.97
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-77.54%
Cinema Ticket
$14.77 €13.14
$7.89 ₡3,539
87.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$832 €740
$494 ₡221.6K
68.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$115 €102
$53.9 ₡24.2K
113.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.65 €35.27
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-28.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 €99.9
$77.9 ₡34.9K
44.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$165 €147
$79.6 ₡35.7K
106.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$937 €833
$788 ₡353.4K
18.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 €593
$794 ₡356.2K
-16.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,223 €1,088
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-68.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,103 €981
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-22.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,205 €3,741
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-39.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,970 €2,642
$1,224 ₡549.0K
142.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oldenburg
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,581 €3,186
$864 ₡387.3K
314.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.96
8.62
-54.06%

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

Last update for Oldenburg: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oldenburg
$667
Nosara
$794 19.1% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oldenburg
$386
Nosara
$186 51.9% $201
Groceries & Markets
Oldenburg
$329
Nosara
$352 7% $23
Eating Out
Oldenburg
$234
Nosara
$212 9.4% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Oldenburg
$194
Nosara
$120 38.2% $74
Getting Around
Oldenburg
$85 *
Nosara
$87 2% $1.7
Sport & Entertainment
Oldenburg
$64
Nosara
$87 36% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $937 in Oldenburg versus $788 in Nosara. 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 315% higher in Oldenburg, 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 $84.0 in Oldenburg versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $329 in Oldenburg vs $352 in Nosara – so Oldenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Oldenburg
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
12:15 12:15 PM
04:15 4:15 AM
8 h behind Oldenburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
163,830
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oldenburg Nosara 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oldenburg
  • Nosara

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
Oldenburg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Oldenburg and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,960 in Oldenburg, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Oldenburg compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,940 per month in Oldenburg and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Oldenburg and Nosara?
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.
How do commuting costs compare in Oldenburg and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 9% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Oldenburg and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $832 per month in Oldenburg and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Oldenburg at $1,960. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oldenburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Oldenburg and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $1,960 in Oldenburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Oldenburg or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Oldenburg and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oldenburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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