Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bien Hoa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bien Hoa: $660 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bien Hoa
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Bien Hoa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bien Hoa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$660

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $660 in Bien Hoa versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Bien Hoa $660
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $916 in Bien Hoa versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Bien Hoa $916
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,172 in Bien Hoa versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Bien Hoa $1,172
Nosara $3,818

Living in Bien Hoa costs roughly 64% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bien Hoa is 51% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.4K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-84.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.65 ₫301.5K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-80.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-40.16%

Cappuccino

$1.13 ₫29.2K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-74.38%

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

$0.42 ₫10.8K

$1.74 ₡780

-75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₫5,980

$1.31 ₡587

-82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.52 ₫13.4K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-84.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-83.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ₫33.2K

$1.56 ₡701

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-73.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ₫22.2K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.74%

Eggs

$1.37 ₫35.5K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-61.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 ₫311.0K

$7.43 ₡3,333

61.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.89 ₫48.8K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-82.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 ₫243.0K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 ₫53.8K

$2.35 ₡1,052

-11.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.61 ₡720

-23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.4K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 ₫23.8K

$1.61 ₡724

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.4K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₫11.3K

$1.13 ₡507

-61.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-75.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.62 ₫197.3K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₫10.9K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-85.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₫19.3K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-79.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,180

$1.12 ₡504

-71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.62 ₫171.3K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-90.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 ₫11.8K

$2.14 ₡958

-78.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$1.57 ₡703

-64.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ₫30.2K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-86.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₫21.9K

$1.52 ₡682

-44.08%

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

$30.5K ₫790.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

41.22%

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

$30.4K ₫787.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.90%

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

$50.6 ₫1.3M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-47.43%

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

$4.21 ₫109.0K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.78 ₫175.4K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-87.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.83 ₫280.4K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-84.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.91 ₫204.7K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-77.34%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 ₫87.4K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-57.16%

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

$67.6 ₫1.8M

$494 ₡221.6K

-86.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ₫366.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

19.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.41 ₫399.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-71.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.53 ₫402.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-71.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 ₫1.8M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 ₫2.5M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ₫10.4M

$788 ₡353.4K

-48.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₫7.0M

$794 ₡356.2K

-66.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ₫10.7M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ₫8.0M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-78.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,888 ₫74.8M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-58.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ₫34.3M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

8.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 ₫7.8M

$864 ₡387.3K

-65.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.8

8.62

-9.51%

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

Last update for Bien Hoa: 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

Bien Hoa

$270 40.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 194% $524

Groceries & Markets

Bien Hoa

$163 24.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 116% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Bien Hoa

$87 13.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 37.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bien Hoa

$62 9.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 202% $124

Eating Out

Bien Hoa

$49 7.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 330% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Bien Hoa

$18 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 397% $70

Getting Around

Bien Hoa

$11 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 685% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Bien Hoa and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 186% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12.00 in Bien Hoa vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $163 vs $352 per month, with Bien Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Bien Hoa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

20:25 8:25 PM

13 h behind Bien Hoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,272,235

4,912

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

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 VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bien Hoa Nosara 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bien Hoa
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

Bien Hoa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bien Hoa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 179% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 186% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Bien Hoa versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bien Hoa – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $660 in Bien Hoa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bien Hoa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bien Hoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bien Hoa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bien Hoa and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bien Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.