Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Willemstad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,022 in Willemstad, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Willemstad despite lower rent and utilities.

97

Cost of Living Index in Willemstad
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Willemstad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Willemstad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$2,022

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,022 per month in Willemstad vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Willemstad $2,022
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,076 per month in Willemstad vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Willemstad $3,076
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,130 per month in Willemstad vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Willemstad $4,130
Nosara $3,712

Willemstad costs about 10% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Willemstad and Nosara sit above the global median – Willemstad by 51%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 ANG 32.83

$12.22 ₡5,509

50.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 ANG 135

$60.2 ₡27.1K

25.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 ANG 20.29

$7.54 ₡3,399

50.27%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ANG 6.46

$4.31 ₡1,941

-16.24%

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

$3.01 ANG 5.39

$1.72 ₡773

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ANG 3.22

$1.35 ₡608

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 ANG 9.96

$3.24 ₡1,459

71.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 ANG 9.75

$4.48 ₡2,018

21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ANG 3.51

$1.57 ₡707

24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ANG 5.08

$3.17 ₡1,429

-10.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 ANG 6.39

$2.42 ₡1,091

47.52%

Eggs

$4.21 ANG 7.53

$3.57 ₡1,609

17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 ANG 30.19

$7.43 ₡3,349

127.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.04 ANG 12.60

$10.42 ₡4,697

-32.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 ANG 21.70

$13.66 ₡6,156

-11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 ANG 9.66

$2.32 ₡1,044

132.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 ANG 5.58

$1.61 ₡728

93.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 ANG 5.89

$4.74 ₡2,138

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 ANG 6.79

$1.66 ₡747

128.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ANG 4.47

$3.72 ₡1,679

-32.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ANG 3.49

$3.57 ₡1,611

-45.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 ANG 4.29

$1.10 ₡497

117.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ANG 5.10

$2.55 ₡1,149

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 ANG 17.93

$4.95 ₡2,232

102.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.48 ANG 22.33

$20.01 ₡9,020

-37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ANG 4.29

$2.79 ₡1,256

-14.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ANG 4.20

$3.53 ₡1,589

-33.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ANG 3.44

$1.19 ₡537

61.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 ANG 39.68

$2.24 ₡1,011

889.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ANG 2.47

$1.57 ₡708

-12.10%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$20.6K ANG 36.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-40.51%

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

$271 ANG 486

$93.5 ₡42.1K

190.29%

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

$76.8 ANG 138

$35.11 ₡15.8K

118.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 ANG 117

$51.5 ₡23.2K

26.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.55 ANG 86.9

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-32.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.82 ANG 78.4

$35.44 ₡16.0K

23.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 ANG 21.41

$7.84 ₡3,535

52.55%

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

$323 ANG 578

$490 ₡220.7K

-34.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ANG 22.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

4.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ANG 185

$53.5 ₡24.1K

92.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.7 ANG 134

$55.8 ₡25.1K

33.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$160 ANG 287

$79.3 ₡35.7K

101.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 ANG 167

$78.9 ₡35.6K

18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ANG 1,450

$786 ₡354.3K

3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ANG 1,151

$780 ₡351.6K

-17.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 ANG 3,119

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 ANG 2,186

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-13.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$838 ANG 1,500

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-87.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$170 ANG 305

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-85.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,279 ANG 2,289

$876 ₡395.0K

45.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.97

8.62

-42.34%

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

Last update for Willemstad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Willemstad

$643 32%

Nosara

$780 43% 21.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Willemstad

$413 20.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 56.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Willemstad

$376 18.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 7% $26

Eating Out

Willemstad

$282 14%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 25.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Willemstad

$194 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 38% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Willemstad

$72 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.2% $15

Getting Around

Willemstad

$30 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 191% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $810 in Willemstad versus $786 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 46% higher in Willemstad, 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 $76.0 in Willemstad versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇼 Willemstad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

2 h behind Willemstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Willemstad Nosara 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Willemstad
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

Willemstad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,022 in Willemstad, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,033 per month in Willemstad and $2,756 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 $76.0 in Willemstad 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 8% more in Willemstad, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Willemstad at $2,022. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Willemstad 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,022 in Willemstad. 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, Willemstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.