Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zandvoort and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,518 in Zandvoort, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Zandvoort
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Zandvoort Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zandvoort

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,518

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Zandvoort vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zandvoort $2,518
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Zandvoort vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zandvoort $3,689
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,860 per month in Zandvoort vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zandvoort $4,860
Nosara $3,818

Zandvoort costs about 37% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zandvoort and Nosara sit above the global median – Zandvoort by 87%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.04

$12.35 ₡5,539

82.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 €73.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

34.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$7.52 ₡3,373

75.80%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.66

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.58%

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

$3.86 €3.44

$1.74 ₡780

121.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.31 ₡587

122.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.28 ₡1,471

71.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.51 ₡1,125

0.80%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.57 ₡1,603

36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 €11.24

$7.43 ₡3,333

70.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.23 €11.77

$10.52 ₡4,717

25.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 €14.81

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.35 ₡1,052

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.61 ₡720

53.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.61 ₡724

147.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.80 ₡1,703

-45.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.13 ₡507

14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 €12.63

$5.18 ₡2,321

174.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.06

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.19

$3.63 ₡1,626

-31.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.12 ₡504

169.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.5 €84.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

31.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 €3.58

$2.14 ₡958

88.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.57 ₡703

84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.28 €26.04

$8.52 ₡3,823

243.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.52 ₡682

62.50%

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

$40.6K €36.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

88.08%

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

$38.1K €33.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.25%

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

$275 €245

$96.3 ₡43.2K

186.08%

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

$22.17 €19.72

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-38.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 €44.49

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 €36.42

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.92 €22.17

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.42 €14.60

$7.89 ₡3,539

108.11%

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

$2,369 €2,108

$494 ₡221.6K

379.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

43.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 €52.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

9.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.97 €36.45

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €79.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

63.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 €1,232

$788 ₡353.4K

75.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,049

$794 ₡356.2K

48.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 €2,088

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-40.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,909 €1,698

$1,419 ₡636.5K

34.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,074 €5,403

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-12.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,104 €3,651

$1,224 ₡549.0K

235.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,717 €3,306

$864 ₡387.3K

330.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

8.62

-62.06%

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

Last update for Zandvoort: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zandvoort

$1.2K 46.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.6% $385

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zandvoort

$348 13.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 46.6% $162

Eating Out

Zandvoort

$336 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.9% $124

Groceries & Markets

Zandvoort

$312 12.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Zandvoort

$144 5.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.6% $24

Getting Around

Zandvoort

$126 5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 30.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Zandvoort

$74 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,386 in Zandvoort 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 330% higher in Zandvoort, 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 $82.0 in Zandvoort versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Zandvoort vs $352 in Nosara – so Zandvoort wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Zandvoort

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

04:40 4:40 AM

8 h behind Zandvoort

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,116

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

Zandvoort Nosara 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zandvoort
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

Zandvoort vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,518 in Zandvoort, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Zandvoort 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 31% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,369 per month in Zandvoort 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 Zandvoort at $2,518. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zandvoort 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 $2,518 in Zandvoort. 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, Zandvoort makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.