Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hafnarfjordur and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

186

Cost of Living Index in Hafnarfjordur
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Hafnarfjordur Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hafnarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,877

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,877 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $3,877
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,400 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $5,400
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,923 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $6,923
Nosara $3,818

Hafnarfjordur costs about 111% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hafnarfjordur and Nosara sit above the global median – Hafnarfjordur by 187%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.03 ISK 3,763

$12.35 ₡5,539

151.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

102.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.27 ISK 1,973

$7.52 ₡3,373

116.36%

Cappuccino

$6.88 ISK 835

$4.41 ₡1,978

56.01%

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

$3.27 ISK 396

$1.74 ₡780

87.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ISK 372

$1.31 ₡587

134.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.18 ISK 1,720

$3.28 ₡1,471

332.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.22 ISK 1,482

$4.47 ₡2,004

173.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ISK 207

$1.56 ₡701

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 ISK 507

$3.02 ₡1,355

38.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ISK 438

$2.51 ₡1,125

43.82%

Eggs

$7.19 ISK 872

$3.57 ₡1,603

101.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.88 ISK 2,654

$7.43 ₡3,333

194.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.76 ISK 3,003

$10.52 ₡4,717

135.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.29 ISK 5,130

$13.97 ₡6,265

202.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ISK 413

$2.35 ₡1,052

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$1.61 ₡720

55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 ISK 386

$4.80 ₡2,152

-33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 ISK 767

$1.61 ₡724

293.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ISK 469

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 ISK 447

$1.13 ₡507

226.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 220

$2.66 ₡1,191

-31.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,674

$5.18 ₡2,321

166.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.94 ISK 2,904

$19.88 ₡8,916

20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$2.90 ₡1,300

22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ISK 416

$3.63 ₡1,626

-5.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 ISK 632

$1.12 ₡504

365.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 ISK 10.4K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

17.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 ISK 798

$2.14 ₡958

207.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ISK 339

$1.57 ₡703

78.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.9 ISK 9,810

$8.52 ₡3,823

849.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.52 ₡682

34.21%

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

$51.3K ISK 6.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

137.48%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

54.44%

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

$70.7 ISK 8,571

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-26.61%

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

$33.02 ISK 4,005

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.0 ISK 10.6K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

62.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ISK 7,870

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-9.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 ISK 2,068

$7.89 ₡3,539

116.10%

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

$1,196 ISK 145.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

142.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

117.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ISK 15.0K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

129.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.8 ISK 7,980

$55.4 ₡24.8K

18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ISK 15.2K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

60.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

216.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 ISK 302.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

216.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 ISK 253.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

162.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,226 ISK 391.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,607 ISK 316.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

83.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ISK 859.4K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

2.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,990 ISK 847.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

471.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,751 ISK 576.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

450.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

8.62

2.20%

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

Last update for Hafnarfjordur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hafnarfjordur

$2.1K 53.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 61.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Hafnarfjordur

$619 16%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 43.1% $266

Eating Out

Hafnarfjordur

$500 12.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 57.7% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Hafnarfjordur

$255 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 52.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hafnarfjordur

$191 4.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 2.6% $5

Getting Around

Hafnarfjordur

$127 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 31.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Hafnarfjordur

$99 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Hafnarfjordur 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 450% higher in Hafnarfjordur, 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 $124 in Hafnarfjordur versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

22:45 10:45 PM

6 h behind Hafnarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,525

4,912

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

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 ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hafnarfjordur Nosara 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hafnarfjordur
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

Hafnarfjordur vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafnarfjordur costs about 111% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,816 per month in Hafnarfjordur 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 111%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Hafnarfjordur at $3,877. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hafnarfjordur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Hafnarfjordur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.