Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho: $670 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ho
🇬🇭 Ghana
$670
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

  • Ho $670
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,129 in Ho versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Ho $1,129
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,587 in Ho versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Ho $1,587
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Ho costs roughly 64% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ho is 50% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.24 GHS 95.6
$12.35 ₡5,547
-33.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.8 GHS 589
$61.2 ₡27.5K
-17.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.32 GHS 120
$7.52 ₡3,377
37.23%
Cappuccino
$4.31 GHS 50.0
$4.41 ₡1,981
-2.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 GHS 18.47
$1.74 ₡781
-8.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 GHS 5.59
$1.31 ₡588
-63.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.84 GHS 21.32
$3.28 ₡1,473
-43.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 GHS 25.45
$4.47 ₡2,007
-51.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.66 GHS 42.45
$1.56 ₡702
134.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.67 GHS 19.42
$3.02 ₡1,357
-44.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.06 GHS 35.53
$2.51 ₡1,127
21.91%
Eggs
$2.61 GHS 30.24
$3.57 ₡1,605
-26.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.79 GHS 137
$7.43 ₡3,338
58.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.18 GHS 83.3
$10.52 ₡4,724
-31.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.75 GHS 113
$13.97 ₡6,274
-30.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.59 GHS 41.59
$2.35 ₡1,054
52.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 GHS 16.81
$1.61 ₡721
-9.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.75 GHS 20.34
$4.80 ₡2,155
-63.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.54 GHS 41.07
$1.61 ₡725
119.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.76 GHS 31.97
$3.80 ₡1,706
-27.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.65 GHS 30.69
$3.69 ₡1,659
-28.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 GHS 8.06
$1.13 ₡507
-38.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 GHS 7.03
$2.66 ₡1,193
-77.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.61 GHS 30.22
$5.18 ₡2,324
-49.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.19 GHS 83.4
$19.88 ₡8,929
-63.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 GHS 14.88
$2.90 ₡1,302
-55.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 GHS 27.84
$3.63 ₡1,628
-33.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Ho
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.12 ₡505
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 GHS 19.46
$2.14 ₡959
-21.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 GHS 14.34
$1.57 ₡704
-21.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.13 GHS 47.85
$8.52 ₡3,828
-51.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 GHS 15.47
$1.52 ₡683
-12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,092 GHS 93.9K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-62.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,939 GHS 115.3K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-71.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.8 GHS 856
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-23.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.36 GHS 225
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-46.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.97 GHS 487
$53.6 ₡24.1K
-21.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.2K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.68 GHS 147
$7.89 ₡3,544
60.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$454 GHS 5,265
$494 ₡221.9K
-8.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.6K GHS 215.9K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
56.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.36 GHS 167
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-73.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.72 GHS 217
$55.4 ₡24.9K
-66.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$35.80 GHS 415
$77.9 ₡35.0K
-54.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.0 GHS 604
$79.6 ₡35.8K
-34.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$788 ₡353.9K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$794 ₡356.7K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,419 ₡637.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
26.75
8.62
210.32%

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

Last update for Ho: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ho
$277
Nosara
$352 27.1% $75
Eating Out
Ho
$171
Nosara
$212 24.2% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho
$135
Nosara
$186 37.5% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Ho
$54
Nosara
$120 121% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Ho
$25 *
Nosara
$87 245% $62
Getting Around
Ho
$7.9 *
Nosara
$87 1008% $79
Accommodation & Living
Ho
- *
Nosara
$794

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $51.0 in Ho vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $352 per month, with Ho cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇭 Ho
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
11:23 11:23 AM
05:23 5:23 AM
6 h behind Ho
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
83,715
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ho Nosara 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ho
  • 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
Ho vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ho and in Nosara?
Ho and Nosara differ by about 174% in total monthly costs ($670 vs $1,839 including rent). Ho is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ho compared to Nosara?
You'd need roughly $1,005 in Ho 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ho and Nosara?
Childcare runs $454 in Ho versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Ho – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $670 in Ho versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ho but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ho and Nosara?
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.
Is Ho or Nosara safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ho 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.
Where should expats move: Ho or Nosara?
Expats usually find Ho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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