Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Purmerend and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,471 in Purmerend, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Purmerend
Learn more

Purmerend Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Purmerend

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,471

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,471 per month in Purmerend vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Purmerend $2,471
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,573 per month in Purmerend vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Purmerend $3,573
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,675 per month in Purmerend vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Purmerend $4,675
Nosara $3,818

Purmerend costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Purmerend and Nosara sit above the global median – Purmerend by 83%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.06 €15.17

$12.35 ₡5,539

38.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.51 €44.04

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-19.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 €11.32

$7.52 ₡3,373

69.28%

Cappuccino

$4.13 €3.67

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.35%

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

$3.71 €3.30

$1.74 ₡780

113.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.31 ₡587

95.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 €5.37

$3.28 ₡1,471

83.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$4.47 ₡2,004

24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.56 ₡701

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.02 ₡1,355

-24.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.51 ₡1,125

0.80%

Eggs

$4.69 €4.17

$3.57 ₡1,603

31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 €12.14

$7.43 ₡3,333

83.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 €12.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

30.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 €14.93

$13.97 ₡6,265

20.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.35 ₡1,052

11.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.61 ₡720

52.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$4.80 ₡2,152

-59.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.83

$1.61 ₡724

167.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.69 ₡1,657

-48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.13 ₡507

2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.24 €11.78

$5.18 ₡2,321

155.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.40

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.90 ₡1,300

-49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.63 ₡1,626

-29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.12 ₡504

191.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 €73.3

$72.6 ₡32.6K

13.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 €3.81

$2.14 ₡958

100.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.57 ₡703

56.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.10 €25.88

$8.52 ₡3,823

241.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.52 ₡682

56.58%

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

$35.9K €32.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.24%

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

$43.4K €38.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

25.87%

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

$268 €239

$96.3 ₡43.2K

178.80%

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

$22.85 €20.33

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-36.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 €44.90

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 €36.00

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.51 €19.14

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-38.38%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 €13.52

$7.89 ₡3,539

92.65%

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

$1,981 €1,762

$494 ₡221.6K

300.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,842 €6,976

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-33.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 €82.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

72.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.41 €37.72

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

32.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €122

$79.6 ₡35.7K

72.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,231

$788 ₡353.4K

75.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 €1,025

$794 ₡356.2K

45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,430 €2,162

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 €1,711

$1,419 ₡636.5K

35.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,380 €4,786

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-22.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,306 €3,830

$1,224 ₡549.0K

251.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,943 €3,507

$864 ₡387.3K

356.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.03

8.62

-53.25%

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

Last update for Purmerend: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Purmerend

$1.2K 46.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 31.1% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Purmerend

$342 13.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 45.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Purmerend

$334 13.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5.5% $19

Eating Out

Purmerend

$291 11.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 27.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Purmerend

$169 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 29.1% $49

Getting Around

Purmerend

$112 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 22.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Purmerend

$71 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,384 in Purmerend 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 357% higher in Purmerend, 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 $50.0 in Purmerend versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $352 – making Purmerend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Purmerend

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

20:24 8:24 PM

8 h behind Purmerend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,915

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 = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Purmerend Nosara 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Purmerend
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

Purmerend vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,471 in Purmerend, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,707 per month in Purmerend 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 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 13% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,981 per month in Purmerend 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 Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Purmerend at $2,471. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Purmerend 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 $2,471 in Purmerend. 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, Purmerend makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.