Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,380 in Hamar versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Hamar $2,380
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,750 in Hamar versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Hamar $3,750
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,120 in Hamar versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Hamar $5,120
Nosara $3,818

Living in Hamar is roughly 29% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamar 76% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 NOK 199

$12.35 ₡5,539

71.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,180

$61.2 ₡27.4K

104.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.83 NOK 149

$7.52 ₡3,373

110.51%

Cappuccino

$5.76 NOK 54.2

$4.41 ₡1,978

30.61%

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

$4.21 NOK 39.63

$1.74 ₡780

141.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 30.85

$1.31 ₡587

150.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.49 NOK 108

$3.28 ₡1,471

250.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 NOK 76.0

$4.47 ₡2,004

80.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 NOK 23.53

$1.56 ₡701

60.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 NOK 27.57

$3.02 ₡1,355

-2.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 NOK 19.36

$2.51 ₡1,125

-17.93%

Eggs

$5.76 NOK 54.3

$3.57 ₡1,603

61.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 NOK 104

$7.43 ₡3,333

48.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 NOK 115

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.42 NOK 296

$13.97 ₡6,265

124.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 NOK 30.26

$2.35 ₡1,052

36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 NOK 24.17

$1.61 ₡720

59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.74

$4.80 ₡2,152

-36.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 NOK 55.5

$1.61 ₡724

265.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 NOK 23.34

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$3.69 ₡1,657

-33.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NOK 19.97

$1.13 ₡507

87.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 NOK 18.74

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.94 NOK 178

$5.18 ₡2,321

265.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.40 NOK 154

$19.88 ₡8,916

-17.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 NOK 31.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 NOK 39.37

$3.63 ₡1,626

15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 43.87

$1.12 ₡504

316.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 NOK 635

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-7.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$2.14 ₡958

457.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NOK 16.76

$1.57 ₡703

13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.5 NOK 654

$8.52 ₡3,823

715.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.32

$1.52 ₡682

55.92%

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

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

121.00%

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

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

26.24%

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

$223 NOK 2,104

$96.3 ₡43.2K

132.07%

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

$33.07 NOK 311

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-7.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$53.6 ₡24.0K

0.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 NOK 548

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.40 NOK 277

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-15.78%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 NOK 186

$7.89 ₡3,539

150.82%

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

$207 NOK 1,948

$494 ₡221.6K

-58.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

32.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 NOK 959

$53.9 ₡24.2K

88.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 NOK 560

$55.4 ₡24.8K

7.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,230

$77.9 ₡34.9K

67.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NOK 977

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

55.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 NOK 7,973

$794 ₡356.2K

6.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-59.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

4.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-37.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

179.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

394.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

8.62

-42.69%

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

Last update for Hamar: 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

Hamar

$847 35.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 6.2% $53

Groceries & Markets

Hamar

$450 18.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 21.7% $98

Eating Out

Hamar

$390 16.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 45.6% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamar

$311 13.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 40.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Hamar

$178 7.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32.6% $58

Getting Around

Hamar

$107 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 18.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hamar

$98 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Hamar and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamar pays 394% 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: $125 in Hamar vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Hamar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

08:38 8:38 AM

8 h behind Hamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,059

4,912

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamar Nosara 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamar
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

Hamar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamar and Nosara differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,380 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 394% higher in Hamar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,227 in Hamar versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Hamar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $125 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,380 in Hamar, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Hamar. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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, Hamar 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Hamar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.