Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostend and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Ostend and in Nosara: $1,810 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Ostend
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Ostend Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ostend

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,810

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ostend 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 Ostend and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,810 per month in Ostend vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ostend $1,810
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,702 per month in Ostend vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ostend $2,702
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,595 per month in Ostend vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ostend $3,595
Nosara $3,818

Ostend is about 2% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ostend and Nosara sit above the global median – Ostend by 34%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.72

$12.35 ₡5,547

78.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.6

$61.2 ₡27.5K

29.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.98

$7.52 ₡3,377

48.67%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.65

$4.41 ₡1,981

-7.26%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.74 ₡781

72.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.31 ₡588

92.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 €3.93

$3.28 ₡1,473

34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.00

$4.47 ₡2,007

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.56 ₡702

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.02 ₡1,357

-10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.51 ₡1,127

-17.13%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.33

$3.57 ₡1,605

4.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 €10.43

$7.43 ₡3,338

57.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 €10.50

$10.52 ₡4,724

11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 €12.01

$13.97 ₡6,274

-3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.35 ₡1,054

20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.61 ₡721

32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$4.80 ₡2,155

-55.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.61 ₡725

44.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.80 ₡1,706

-51.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$3.69 ₡1,659

-53.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.66 ₡1,193

-65.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 €9.04

$5.18 ₡2,324

95.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$19.88 ₡8,929

-65.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.90 ₡1,302

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.63 ₡1,628

-49.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.12 ₡505

202.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.31 €34.19

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-47.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.14 ₡959

57.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.57 ₡704

45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 €22.34

$8.52 ₡3,828

193.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.52 ₡683

28.29%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

59.89%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.43%

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

$176 €157

$96.3 ₡43.2K

82.33%

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

$18.08 €16.13

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-49.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.39

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-0.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.39 €32.47

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.02 €9.84

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-68.43%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.81

$7.89 ₡3,544

82.00%

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

$391 €349

$494 ₡221.9K

-20.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €14.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

35.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 €88.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

84.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.26 €23.44

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-52.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 €78.3

$77.9 ₡35.0K

12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$79.6 ₡35.8K

51.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 €707

$788 ₡353.9K

0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €600

$794 ₡356.7K

-15.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 €1,112

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-68.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €881

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-30.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,674 €3,279

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-46.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 €1,712

$1,224 ₡549.8K

56.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,097 €2,764

$864 ₡387.8K

258.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

8.62

-61.37%

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

Last update for Ostend: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostend

$673 37.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 18.1% $122

Eating Out

Ostend

$312 17.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.2% $101

Groceries & Markets

Ostend

$297 16.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 18.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostend

$247 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 24.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Ostend

$150 8.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20% $30

Getting Around

Ostend

$67 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 30.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ostend

$65 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Ostend 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 259% higher in Ostend, 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 $79.0 in Ostend versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Ostend vs $352 in Nosara – so Ostend wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Ostend

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

8 h behind Ostend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,600

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ostend Nosara 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostend
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

Ostend vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,810 in Ostend, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,715 per month in Ostend and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 90% less in Ostend. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $391 per month in Ostend and $494 in Nosara. 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 Ostend, where all-in costs run around $1,810, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ostend it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,810 in Ostend to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Ostend. 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.