Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
Learn more

Hawassa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $834 per month in Hawassa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Hawassa $834
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,199 per month in Hawassa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Hawassa $1,199
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,564 per month in Hawassa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Hawassa $1,564
Nosara $3,818

Hawassa is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hawassa sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ETB 625

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.11 ETB 6,758

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-31.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 ETB 1,054

$7.52 ₡3,373

-12.77%

Cappuccino

$0.95 ETB 153

$4.41 ₡1,978

-78.46%

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

$0.63 ETB 102

$1.74 ₡780

-63.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ETB 110

$1.31 ₡587

-47.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$3.28 ₡1,471

-74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ETB 370

$4.47 ₡2,004

-48.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 172

$1.56 ₡701

-31.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$3.02 ₡1,355

-61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ETB 163

$2.51 ₡1,125

-59.76%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 253

$3.57 ₡1,603

-55.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 ETB 1,188

$7.43 ₡3,333

-0.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ETB 1,616

$10.52 ₡4,717

-4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 ETB 1,458

$13.97 ₡6,265

-34.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 ETB 859

$2.35 ₡1,052

127.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.61 ₡720

-57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ETB 341

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.61 ₡724

-59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.5

$3.80 ₡1,703

-86.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ETB 169

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 110

$1.13 ₡507

-38.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 ETB 1,312

$5.18 ₡2,321

57.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 ETB 891

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$2.90 ₡1,300

-77.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$3.63 ₡1,626

-64.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ETB 210

$2.14 ₡958

-38.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.86

$1.57 ₡703

-82.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 326

$8.52 ₡3,823

-76.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ETB 147

$1.52 ₡682

-39.47%

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

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

152.71%

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

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

63.31%

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

$202 ETB 32.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

109.97%

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

$7.21 ETB 1,158

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-79.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$213 ETB 34.2K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

297.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.84 ETB 616

$7.89 ₡3,539

-51.33%

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

$136 ETB 21.9K

$494 ₡221.6K

-72.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

155.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.37 ETB 5,356

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-38.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

27.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 ETB 79.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-59.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

8.62

114.62%

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

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$423 50.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 56% $237

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 71.6% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$120 14.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Hawassa

$76 9.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 178% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1039% $80

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3200% $84

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Hawassa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $352 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

22:57 10:57 PM

9 h behind Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 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 ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Nosara 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

Hawassa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $834 in Hawassa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,252 per month in Hawassa and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Hawassa and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $834 in Hawassa to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Hawassa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.