Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veldhoven and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Veldhoven: $1,215 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Veldhoven
Learn more

Veldhoven Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Veldhoven

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,215

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Veldhoven vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Veldhoven $1,215
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,792 per month in Veldhoven vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Veldhoven $2,792
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,368 per month in Veldhoven vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Veldhoven $4,368
Nosara $3,712

Veldhoven is about 34% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Veldhoven sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.90 €22.22

$12.22 ₡5,509

103.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 €68.9

$60.2 ₡27.1K

28.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.14 €12.62

$7.54 ₡3,399

87.53%

Cappuccino

$4.53 €4.04

$4.31 ₡1,941

5.10%

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

$3.91 €3.49

$1.72 ₡773

127.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.28

$1.35 ₡608

171.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.08

$3.24 ₡1,459

75.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$4.48 ₡2,018

27.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.57 ₡707

-11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.17 ₡1,429

-37.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.42 ₡1,091

-5.37%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.85

$3.57 ₡1,609

21.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.88

$7.43 ₡3,349

79.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 €11.52

$10.42 ₡4,697

23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.91

$13.66 ₡6,156

14.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.32 ₡1,044

18.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.61 ₡728

52.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.74 ₡2,138

-60.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.66 ₡747

102.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.57 ₡1,611

-61.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.10 ₡497

15.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$2.55 ₡1,149

-70.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 €12.65

$4.95 ₡2,232

186.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 €6.17

$20.01 ₡9,020

-65.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.79 ₡1,256

-45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.53 ₡1,589

-26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 €3.23

$2.24 ₡1,011

61.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.55 ₡701

90.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.67 €35.40

$8.86 ₡3,993

347.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.57 ₡708

60.51%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

91.25%

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

$39.4K €35.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

13.82%

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

$199 €178

$93.5 ₡42.1K

113.28%

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

$22.42 €20.01

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-36.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.59 €38.01

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-17.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 €45.50

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-28.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.32 €13.67

$7.84 ₡3,535

95.41%

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

$2,779 €2,480

$490 ₡220.7K

467.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,792 €7,846

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-25.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.4 €87.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

83.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.52 €38.84

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

35.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$78.9 ₡35.6K

68.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,481

$1,407 ₡634.4K

17.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,410 €3,936

$876 ₡395.0K

403.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

8.62

-55.92%

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

Last update for Veldhoven: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Veldhoven

$366 30.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 42.8% $157

Groceries & Markets

Veldhoven

$312 25.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 12% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veldhoven

$264 21.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 31.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Veldhoven

$172 14.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Veldhoven

$82 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Veldhoven

$18 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 372% $68

Accommodation & Living

Veldhoven

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 403% higher in Veldhoven, 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 $77.0 in Veldhoven versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Veldhoven vs $350 in Nosara – so Veldhoven wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Veldhoven

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

05:46 5:46 AM

8 h behind Veldhoven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,466

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Veldhoven Nosara 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Veldhoven
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

Veldhoven vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,215 in Veldhoven, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,822 per month in Veldhoven and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Veldhoven and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Veldhoven, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Veldhoven 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 $1,215 in Veldhoven to $1,837 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 Veldhoven. 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.