Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zutphen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,442 in Zutphen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Zutphen
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Zutphen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zutphen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,442

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,442 per month in Zutphen vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zutphen $2,442
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Zutphen vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zutphen $3,481
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,519 per month in Zutphen vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zutphen $4,519
Nosara $3,818

Zutphen costs about 33% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zutphen and Nosara sit above the global median – Zutphen by 81%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 €17.51

$12.35 ₡5,539

59.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.10 €39.23

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.80

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.44%

Cappuccino

$3.28 €2.92

$4.41 ₡1,978

-25.62%

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

$1.68 €1.50

$1.74 ₡780

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.31 ₡587

125.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 €7.49

$3.28 ₡1,471

156.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$4.47 ₡2,004

23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.56 ₡701

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.02 ₡1,355

-25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-0.40%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.56

$3.57 ₡1,603

12.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 €11.04

$7.43 ₡3,333

67.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 €5.03

$10.52 ₡4,717

-46.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 €12.06

$13.97 ₡6,265

-2.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.35 ₡1,052

9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.61 ₡720

57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 €3.95

$1.61 ₡724

175.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$3.69 ₡1,657

-35.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.13 ₡507

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.66 ₡1,191

-68.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 €12.33

$5.18 ₡2,321

167.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.80

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.90 ₡1,300

-47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.63 ₡1,626

-25.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 €2.64

$1.12 ₡504

165.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.7 €83.3

$72.6 ₡32.6K

28.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.69

$2.14 ₡958

93.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.57 ₡703

108.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.34 €25.21

$8.52 ₡3,823

232.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.52 ₡682

58.55%

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

$40.9K €36.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

89.39%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.97%

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

$290 €258

$96.3 ₡43.2K

201.42%

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

$17.08 €15.19

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-52.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.93 €44.41

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-6.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.48 €36.01

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 €22.23

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-28.42%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

96.70%

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

$1,245 €1,108

$494 ₡221.6K

152.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,793

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-7.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.1 €72.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

50.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.50 €33.36

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

41.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$79.6 ₡35.7K

61.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$788 ₡353.4K

78.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,018

$794 ₡356.2K

44.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 €2,163

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 €1,670

$1,419 ₡636.5K

32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 €4,882

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-20.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,215 €3,749

$1,224 ₡549.0K

244.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,221 €5,534

$864 ₡387.3K

620.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

8.62

-48.72%

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

Last update for Zutphen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zutphen

$1.1K 46.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 30.6% $350

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zutphen

$357 14.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48% $171

Eating Out

Zutphen

$305 12.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30.6% $93

Groceries & Markets

Zutphen

$277 11.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Zutphen

$161 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.4% $41

Getting Around

Zutphen

$126 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 30.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Zutphen

$72 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in Zutphen 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 620% higher in Zutphen, 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 $44.00 in Zutphen versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $352 – making Zutphen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Zutphen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

8 h behind Zutphen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,642

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Zutphen Nosara 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zutphen
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

Zutphen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,442 in Zutphen, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,663 per month in Zutphen 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 29% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,245 per month in Zutphen 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 Zutphen at $2,442. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zutphen 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 $2,442 in Zutphen. 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, Zutphen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.