Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zeist and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,745 in Zeist, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Zeist
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Zeist Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zeist

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,745

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,745 per month in Zeist vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zeist $2,745
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,809 per month in Zeist vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zeist $3,809
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,873 per month in Zeist vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zeist $4,873
Nosara $3,818

Zeist costs about 49% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zeist and Nosara sit above the global median – Zeist by 103%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.98 €19.55

$12.35 ₡5,539

77.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 €71.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

31.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.89

$7.52 ₡3,373

77.79%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.91

$4.41 ₡1,978

-0.45%

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

$3.72 €3.31

$1.74 ₡780

113.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.31 ₡587

158.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.28 ₡1,471

74.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 €4.54

$4.47 ₡2,004

14.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.56 ₡701

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$2.51 ₡1,125

5.98%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$3.57 ₡1,603

31.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.43 ₡3,333

84.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 €12.40

$10.52 ₡4,717

32.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.74 €16.67

$13.97 ₡6,265

34.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.35 ₡1,052

11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.61 ₡720

47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.80 ₡2,152

-56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.79

$1.61 ₡724

165.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.69 ₡1,657

-49.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.13 ₡507

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.66 ₡1,191

-59.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.52

$5.18 ₡2,321

171.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$2.90 ₡1,300

-54.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$3.63 ₡1,626

-26.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.12 ₡504

203.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.9 €81.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

26.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 €3.27

$2.14 ₡958

71.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.57 ₡703

27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.89 €19.47

$8.52 ₡3,823

156.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.52 ₡682

58.55%

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

$40.6K €36.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

87.66%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.23%

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

$242 €215

$96.3 ₡43.2K

151.50%

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

$25.85 €23.00

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.70 €41.54

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-12.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.04 €36.51

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.61 €22.78

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-26.64%

Cinema Ticket

$15.43 €13.73

$7.89 ₡3,539

95.56%

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

$2,454 €2,183

$494 ₡221.6K

396.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,949 €7,071

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

76.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 €34.94

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 €1,268

$788 ₡353.4K

80.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 €1,258

$794 ₡356.2K

78.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,365 €2,104

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,419 ₡636.5K

33.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,478 €5,762

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-6.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,584 €4,967

$1,224 ₡549.0K

356.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,216 €3,750

$864 ₡387.3K

388.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

8.62

-57.66%

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

Last update for Zeist: 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

Zeist

$1.4K 51.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 43.9% $620

Groceries & Markets

Zeist

$342 12.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.9% $9.9

Eating Out

Zeist

$336 12.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.9% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zeist

$315 11.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Zeist

$146 5.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18% $26

Getting Around

Zeist

$119 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 26.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Zeist

$72 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,426 in Zeist 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 388% higher in Zeist, 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 $80.0 in Zeist versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $342 in Zeist vs $352 in Nosara – so Zeist wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Zeist

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

8 h behind Zeist

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,987

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

Zeist Nosara 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zeist
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

Zeist vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,745 in Zeist, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,118 per month in Zeist 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 26% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,454 per month in Zeist 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 Zeist at $2,745. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zeist 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 $2,745 in Zeist. 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, Zeist makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.