Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,667 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hastings

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,667

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,667 in Hastings versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Hastings $2,667
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,558 in Hastings versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Hastings $3,558
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Hastings versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Hastings $4,449
Nosara $3,818

Living in Hastings is roughly 45% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hastings 98% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.82 £18.62

$12.35 ₡5,539

100.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 £60.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

31.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 £8.46

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.00%

Cappuccino

$4.43 £3.33

$4.41 ₡1,978

0.45%

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

$2.96 £2.22

$1.74 ₡780

70.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.31 ₡587

2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 £5.09

$3.28 ₡1,471

106.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.08

$4.47 ₡2,004

51.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 £0.54

$1.56 ₡701

-53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$3.02 ₡1,355

-43.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 £1.96

$2.51 ₡1,125

4.38%

Eggs

$3.19 £2.40

$3.57 ₡1,603

-10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 £7.28

$7.43 ₡3,333

30.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 £7.26

$10.52 ₡4,717

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 £9.96

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 £2.12

$2.35 ₡1,052

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.61 ₡720

8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.17

$4.80 ₡2,152

-39.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$1.61 ₡724

112.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$3.69 ₡1,657

-58.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.13 ₡507

6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 £1.32

$2.66 ₡1,191

-34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.49 £13.12

$5.18 ₡2,321

237.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.75 £5.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$2.90 ₡1,300

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.63 ₡1,626

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.63

$1.12 ₡504

212.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.9 £71.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

31.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.35 £3.26

$2.14 ₡958

103.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.57 ₡703

-30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.53 £23.65

$8.52 ₡3,823

270.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.52 ₡682

28.95%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

79.49%

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

$40.2K £30.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

16.41%

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

$324 £243

$96.3 ₡43.2K

236.22%

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

$19.77 £14.83

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-44.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 £40.27

$53.6 ₡24.0K

0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.83 £33.63

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 £11.86

$7.89 ₡3,539

100.38%

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

$1,572 £1,180

$494 ₡221.6K

218.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

47.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 £78.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

92.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 £38.92

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-6.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 £100

$79.6 ₡35.7K

67.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 £1,099

$788 ₡353.4K

85.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 £945

$794 ₡356.2K

58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 £1,553

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-47.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 £1,098

$1,419 ₡636.5K

3.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,994 £3,747

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-27.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,809 £2,857

$1,224 ₡549.0K

211.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,279 £2,460

$864 ₡387.3K

279.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

8.62

-42.46%

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

Last update for Hastings: 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

Hastings

$1.3K 47.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 36.9% $465

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$397 14.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 53.2% $211

Eating Out

Hastings

$350 13.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.5% $138

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$287 10.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 22.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$176 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.9% $56

Getting Around

Hastings

$120 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 27.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$76 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,465 in Hastings and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hastings pays 280% 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: $80.0 in Hastings vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $352, with Hastings cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Hastings

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

08:19 8:19 AM

7 h behind Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,855

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hastings Nosara 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
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

Hastings vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hastings and Nosara differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,667 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 280% higher in Hastings, 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: $1,465 in Hastings versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,667 per month in Hastings versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 32% less than in Hastings. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,667 in Hastings, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Hastings. 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, Hastings 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 45% less than in Hastings. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.