Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hai Phong and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $688 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
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Hai Phong Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$688

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Hai Phong versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Hai Phong $688
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,162 in Hai Phong versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Hai Phong $1,162
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,635 in Hai Phong versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Hai Phong $1,635
Nosara $3,712

Living in Hai Phong costs roughly 63% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hai Phong is 49% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.57 ₫40.7K

$12.22 ₡5,498

-87.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 ₫491.3K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-68.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.26 ₫110.6K

$7.54 ₡3,391

-43.50%

Cappuccino

$1.82 ₫47.2K

$4.31 ₡1,937

-57.77%

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

$0.47 ₫12.3K

$1.72 ₡772

-72.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,732

$1.35 ₡606

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$3.24 ₡1,456

-75.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.1K

$4.48 ₡2,014

-64.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₫40.3K

$1.57 ₡705

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$3.17 ₡1,426

-83.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₫21.2K

$2.42 ₡1,089

-66.12%

Eggs

$1.45 ₫37.6K

$3.57 ₡1,605

-59.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 ₫271.3K

$7.43 ₡3,342

40.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ₫98.4K

$10.42 ₡4,687

-63.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.96 ₫258.2K

$13.66 ₡6,143

-27.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ₫87.9K

$2.32 ₡1,042

46.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.9K

$1.61 ₡726

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.5K

$4.74 ₡2,133

-71.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$1.66 ₡746

-31.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$3.72 ₡1,675

-74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$3.57 ₡1,608

-69.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ₫14.1K

$1.10 ₡496

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.4K

$2.55 ₡1,147

-78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.16 ₫30.0K

$4.95 ₡2,227

-76.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 ₫321.8K

$20.01 ₡9,001

-37.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₫19.2K

$2.79 ₡1,253

-73.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$3.53 ₡1,586

-52.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₫10.0K

$1.19 ₡536

-67.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.66 ₫146.7K

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-92.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$2.24 ₡1,009

-64.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$1.55 ₡699

-63.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$8.86 ₡3,985

-78.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.57 ₡706

-43.31%

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

$30.6K ₫793.5M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

40.33%

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

$30.1K ₫779.8M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-13.19%

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

$44.54 ₫1.2M

$93.5 ₡42.0K

-52.34%

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

$5.21 ₫135.0K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-85.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.69 ₫225.3K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-83.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.88 ₫593.4K

$71.4 ₡32.1K

-67.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.79 ₫202.0K

$35.44 ₡15.9K

-78.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.14 ₫107.4K

$7.84 ₡3,528

-47.19%

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

$154 ₫4.0M

$490 ₡220.2K

-68.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,579 ₫118.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-61.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.45 ₫1.2M

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-15.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.39 ₫554.6K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-61.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 ₫2.2M

$79.3 ₡35.7K

6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₫2.0M

$78.9 ₡35.5K

-2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ₫6.4M

$786 ₡353.6K

-68.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 ₫6.4M

$780 ₡350.8K

-68.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ₫26.4M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-73.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₫16.3M

$1,407 ₡633.0K

-55.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,324 ₫34.3M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-81.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$977 ₫25.3M

$1,201 ₡540.2K

-18.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ₫13.0M

$876 ₡394.2K

-42.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-18.79%

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

Last update for Hai Phong: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hai Phong

$245 35.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 218% $535

Groceries & Markets

Hai Phong

$190 27.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 83.8% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Hai Phong

$103 14.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hai Phong

$58 8.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 208% $122

Eating Out

Hai Phong

$57 8.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 265% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Hai Phong

$31 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 180% $56

Getting Around

Hai Phong

$11 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 701% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Hai Phong and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 75% 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: $19.00 in Hai Phong vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $350 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

19:40 7:40 PM

13 h behind Hai Phong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,105,000

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

Hai Phong Nosara 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Hai Phong
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

Hai Phong vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hai Phong and Nosara differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($688 vs $1,837 including rent). Hai Phong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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: $246 in Hai Phong versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $688 per month in Hai Phong versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 1173% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $688 in Hai Phong versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.