Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wageningen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,626 in Wageningen, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Wageningen
Learn more

Wageningen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Wageningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,626

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Wageningen vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Wageningen $2,626
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,023 per month in Wageningen vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Wageningen $4,023
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,419 per month in Wageningen vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Wageningen $5,419
Nosara $3,818

Wageningen costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wageningen and Nosara sit above the global median – Wageningen by 95%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.39 €19.03

$12.35 ₡5,539

73.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

46.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.82

$7.52 ₡3,373

76.60%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$4.41 ₡1,978

-7.94%

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

$3.87 €3.44

$1.74 ₡780

122.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.31 ₡587

102.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.95

$3.28 ₡1,471

69.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 €4.42

$4.47 ₡2,004

11.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.56 ₡701

-17.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.02 ₡1,355

-32.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.51 ₡1,125

9.16%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.35

$3.57 ₡1,603

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 €11.75

$7.43 ₡3,333

77.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.55 €12.95

$10.52 ₡4,717

38.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 €14.61

$13.97 ₡6,265

17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.35 ₡1,052

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.61 ₡720

47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 €4.16

$1.61 ₡724

190.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.13 ₡507

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 €12.42

$5.18 ₡2,321

169.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.97 €6.20

$19.88 ₡8,916

-64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.34

$3.63 ₡1,626

-27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.01

$1.12 ₡504

202.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.64

$2.14 ₡958

91.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.57 ₡703

24.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.02 €19.59

$8.52 ₡3,823

158.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.52 ₡682

55.26%

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

$41.1K €36.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

90.32%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.63%

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

$313 €278

$96.3 ₡43.2K

224.72%

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

$24.28 €21.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.30 €41.18

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-13.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.39 €34.15

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-46.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 €19.92

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-35.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.83 €14.08

$7.89 ₡3,539

100.63%

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

$1,963 €1,746

$494 ₡221.6K

297.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,098 €7,204

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 €86.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

79.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.20 €39.32

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-20.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

37.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

27.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 €1,043

$788 ₡353.4K

48.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$794 ₡356.2K

67.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 €2,395

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 €2,256

$1,419 ₡636.5K

78.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,428 €3,939

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,589 €4,082

$1,224 ₡549.0K

274.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,355 €2,984

$864 ₡387.3K

288.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Wageningen: 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

Wageningen

$1.3K 50.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.2% $534

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wageningen

$383 14.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 51.5% $197

Groceries & Markets

Wageningen

$336 12.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 4.7% $16

Eating Out

Wageningen

$324 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Wageningen

$157 6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Wageningen

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

Wageningen

$27 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 217% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,173 in Wageningen 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 288% higher in Wageningen, 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 $90.0 in Wageningen versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $336 in Wageningen vs $352 in Nosara – so Wageningen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Wageningen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

18:54 6:54 PM

8 h behind Wageningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,664

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

Wageningen Nosara 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wageningen
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

Wageningen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,626 in Wageningen, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,940 per month in Wageningen 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Wageningen and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Wageningen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Wageningen at $2,626. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wageningen 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 $2,626 in Wageningen. 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, Wageningen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.