Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha Long and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long: $759 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long
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Ha Long Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ha Long

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$759

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $759 per month in Ha Long vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Ha Long $759
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Ha Long vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Ha Long $1,223
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,686 per month in Ha Long vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Ha Long $1,686
Nosara $3,712

Ha Long is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ha Long sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ₫47.5K

$12.22 ₡5,498

-85.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.93 ₫490.8K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-68.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ₫113.1K

$7.54 ₡3,391

-42.18%

Cappuccino

$1.81 ₫46.9K

$4.31 ₡1,937

-58.00%

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

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$1.72 ₡772

-66.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,775

$1.35 ₡606

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ₫20.6K

$3.24 ₡1,456

-75.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$4.48 ₡2,014

-70.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₫43.6K

$1.57 ₡705

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$3.17 ₡1,426

-67.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.42 ₡1,089

-54.13%

Eggs

$1.66 ₫43.2K

$3.57 ₡1,605

-53.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.7K

$7.43 ₡3,342

42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ₫106.9K

$10.42 ₡4,687

-60.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 ₫226.8K

$13.66 ₡6,143

-36.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.2K

$2.32 ₡1,042

18.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.61 ₡726

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 ₫29.4K

$4.74 ₡2,133

-76.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.66 ₡746

-24.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$3.72 ₡1,675

-71.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$3.57 ₡1,608

-68.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₫16.5K

$1.10 ₡496

-41.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₫13.0K

$2.55 ₡1,147

-80.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$4.95 ₡2,227

-69.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.62 ₫301.3K

$20.01 ₡9,001

-41.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₫23.8K

$2.79 ₡1,253

-67.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$3.53 ₡1,586

-54.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫8,162

$1.19 ₡536

-73.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.09 ₫157.9K

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-91.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$2.24 ₡1,009

-69.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₫15.0K

$1.55 ₡699

-62.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₫55.4K

$8.86 ₡3,985

-75.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.57 ₡706

-43.31%

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

$34.5K ₫894.6M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

58.21%

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

$31.8K ₫825.9M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-8.06%

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

$77.6 ₫2.0M

$93.5 ₡42.0K

-17.00%

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

$5.83 ₫151.2K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-83.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.24 ₫187.8K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-85.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.71 ₫511.1K

$71.4 ₡32.1K

-72.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.29 ₫215.1K

$35.44 ₡15.9K

-76.61%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 ₫75.4K

$7.84 ₡3,528

-62.88%

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

$165 ₫4.3M

$490 ₡220.2K

-66.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K ₫366.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

18.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 ₫1.3M

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-3.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.66 ₫587.7K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-59.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ₫2.0M

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ₫1.9M

$78.9 ₡35.5K

-9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 ₫10.9M

$786 ₡353.6K

-46.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₫7.2M

$780 ₡350.8K

-64.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₫20.1M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-79.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 ₫17.5M

$1,407 ₡633.0K

-52.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,212 ₫83.3M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-53.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 ₫30.3M

$1,201 ₡540.2K

-2.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$228 ₫5.9M

$876 ₡394.2K

-73.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

8.62

-1.86%

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

Last update for Ha Long: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha Long

$278 36.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 181% $502

Groceries & Markets

Ha Long

$193 25.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 80.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Ha Long

$100 13.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 20.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha Long

$91 12%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 98.7% $89

Eating Out

Ha Long

$59 7.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 252% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Ha Long

$26 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 241% $62

Getting Around

Ha Long

$11 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 695% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Ha Long 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 284% higher in Nosara, 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 $19.00 in Ha Long versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $350 – making Ha Long the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ha Long

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

19:52 7:52 PM

13 h behind Ha Long

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,054

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 = 2.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ha Long Nosara 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ha Long
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

Ha Long vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $759 in Ha Long, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,138 per month in Ha Long 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 Ha Long, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 81% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Ha Long and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long, where all-in costs run around $759, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Ha Long it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $759 in Ha Long to $1,837 in Nosara. 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 Ha Long. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.