Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tervuren and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,015 in Tervuren, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tervuren
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,015
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,015 per month in Tervuren vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tervuren $2,015
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,954 per month in Tervuren vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tervuren $2,954
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,893 per month in Tervuren vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tervuren $3,893
  • Nosara $3,818

Tervuren costs about 10% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tervuren and Nosara sit above the global median – Tervuren by 49%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.06 €19.69
$12.35 ₡5,547
78.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 €70.9
$61.2 ₡27.5K
29.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.20 €10.00
$7.52 ₡3,377
48.94%
Cappuccino
$4.37 €3.90
$4.41 ₡1,981
-0.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 €2.65
$1.74 ₡781
70.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 €2.55
$1.31 ₡588
118.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.18 €4.62
$3.28 ₡1,473
57.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 €3.93
$4.47 ₡2,007
-1.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.56 ₡702
-12.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.82 €2.52
$3.02 ₡1,357
-6.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$2.51 ₡1,127
-17.93%
Eggs
$3.73 €3.33
$3.57 ₡1,605
4.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.72 €10.46
$7.43 ₡3,338
57.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.31 €10.99
$10.52 ₡4,724
17.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.85 €16.83
$13.97 ₡6,274
34.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 €2.39
$2.35 ₡1,054
14.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.61 ₡721
31.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$4.80 ₡2,155
-53.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$1.61 ₡725
37.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$3.80 ₡1,706
-42.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 €1.50
$3.69 ₡1,659
-54.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.13 ₡507
21.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.78
$2.66 ₡1,193
-66.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.33 €11.90
$5.18 ₡2,324
157.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.39 €6.60
$19.88 ₡8,929
-62.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.74
$2.90 ₡1,302
-32.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 €1.65
$3.63 ₡1,628
-49.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.11 €2.77
$1.12 ₡505
177.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.91 €8.84
$2.14 ₡959
363.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.52 €2.25
$1.57 ₡704
60.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.77 €22.11
$8.52 ₡3,828
190.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.86
$1.52 ₡683
36.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K €31.8K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
65.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K €29.4K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-4.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 €188
$96.3 ₡43.2K
119.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.96 €16.03
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-49.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.2 €46.54
$53.6 ₡24.1K
-2.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.34 €32.43
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-49.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.86 €15.94
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-48.84%
Cinema Ticket
$14.47 €12.92
$7.89 ₡3,544
83.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$559 €499
$494 ₡221.9K
13.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.3K €14.6K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
37.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.4 €86.0
$53.9 ₡24.2K
78.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.42 €23.58
$55.4 ₡24.9K
-52.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 €96.0
$77.9 ₡35.0K
38.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$146 €131
$79.6 ₡35.8K
83.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$927 €827
$788 ₡353.9K
17.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$825 €736
$794 ₡356.7K
3.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,382 €1,233
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-64.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 €1,065
$1,419 ₡637.4K
-15.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,137 €3,692
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-40.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,859 €2,552
$1,224 ₡549.8K
133.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tervuren
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.2
8.62
-62.88%

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

Last update for Tervuren: 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
Tervuren
$825
Nosara
$794 3.7% $30
Eating Out
Tervuren
$321
Nosara
$212 33.9% $109
Groceries & Markets
Tervuren
$319
Nosara
$352 10.6% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tervuren
$281
Nosara
$186 33.9% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Tervuren
$170
Nosara
$120 29.2% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Tervuren
$65
Nosara
$87 33.8% $22
Getting Around
Tervuren
$35 *
Nosara
$87 150% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in Tervuren 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Tervuren versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $319 in Tervuren vs $352 in Nosara – so Tervuren wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Tervuren
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
08:25 8:25 AM
00:25 12:25 AM
8 h behind Tervuren
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,816
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tervuren Nosara 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tervuren
  • 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
Tervuren vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tervuren and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,015 in Tervuren, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Tervuren compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,022 per month in Tervuren 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 Tervuren 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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Tervuren and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Tervuren – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
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 Tervuren at $2,015. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tervuren it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Tervuren and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,015 in Tervuren. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tervuren 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 Tervuren and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tervuren makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Tervuren vs other spots: cost of living compared

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