Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamrun and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamrun: $1,670 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Hamrun
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Hamrun Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hamrun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,670

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,670 in Hamrun versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Hamrun $1,670
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,558 in Hamrun versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Hamrun $2,558
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,445 in Hamrun versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Hamrun $3,445
Nosara $3,818

Living in Hamrun costs roughly 9% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamrun 24% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 €11.35

$12.35 ₡5,539

3.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.50

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-9.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.69 €7.73

$7.52 ₡3,373

15.56%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.88%

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

$2.00 €1.78

$1.74 ₡780

14.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.31 ₡587

3.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 €1.70

$3.28 ₡1,471

-41.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

-49.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.56 ₡701

-18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 €1.17

$3.02 ₡1,355

-56.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 €3.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

69.72%

Eggs

$4.36 €3.87

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 €7.45

$7.43 ₡3,333

12.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.10 €16.10

$13.97 ₡6,265

29.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.35 ₡1,052

72.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.61 ₡720

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$4.80 ₡2,152

-26.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.61 ₡724

113.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.80 ₡1,703

-36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.13 ₡507

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.66 ₡1,191

-49.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.85

$5.18 ₡2,321

27.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.63 ₡1,626

-33.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.12 ₡504

120.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.92

$2.14 ₡958

158.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.57 ₡703

45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.03 €24.04

$8.52 ₡3,823

217.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.52 ₡682

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

73.19%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

11.41%

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

$101 €89.7

$96.3 ₡43.2K

4.73%

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

$25.10 €22.33

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-30.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.69 €24.63

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 €54.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-14.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 €8.77

$7.89 ₡3,539

24.97%

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

$363 €323

$494 ₡221.6K

-26.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-4.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €78.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

64.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.07 €36.53

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 €69.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 €742

$788 ₡353.4K

5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 €682

$794 ₡356.2K

-3.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 €1,391

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-60.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 €1,186

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-6.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,965 €3,527

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-42.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,772 €2,466

$1,224 ₡549.0K

126.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

8.62

-66.36%

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

Last update for Hamrun: 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

Hamrun

$767 45.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 3.6% $28

Groceries & Markets

Hamrun

$325 19.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.5% $28

Eating Out

Hamrun

$180 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamrun

$154 9.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 20.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Hamrun

$138 8.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Hamrun

$81 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8% $6.5

Getting Around

Hamrun

$27 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 225% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $834 in Hamrun and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Hamrun vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $352 per month, with Hamrun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Hamrun

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

09:30 9:30 AM

8 h behind Hamrun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamrun Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamrun
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

Hamrun vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamrun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,506 in Hamrun and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $834 in Hamrun versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,670 per month in Hamrun versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,670 in Hamrun versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamrun but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hamrun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hamrun 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, Hamrun 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 Hamrun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.