Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hvar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Hvar: $1,522 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Hvar
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Hvar Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hvar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,522

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,522 in Hvar versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Hvar $1,522
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,310 in Hvar versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Hvar $2,310
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,097 in Hvar versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Hvar $3,097
Nosara $3,820

Living in Hvar costs roughly 18% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hvar 12% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.08 €11.75

$12.36 ₡5,575

5.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.8 €65.4

$60.8 ₡27.4K

19.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 €8.20

$7.88 ₡3,557

15.86%

Cappuccino

$2.53 €2.27

$4.40 ₡1,986

-42.50%

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

$3.12 €2.80

$1.72 ₡776

81.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.34 ₡603

70.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 €3.18

$3.34 ₡1,505

5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 €3.68

$4.54 ₡2,048

-9.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.64 ₡739

-27.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.39

$3.16 ₡1,426

-51.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.39 ₡1,080

25.10%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.49

$3.47 ₡1,564

11.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 €9.60

$7.13 ₡3,217

49.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 €8.52

$10.32 ₡4,655

-8.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 €10.53

$13.97 ₡6,302

-16.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 €1.55

$2.29 ₡1,031

-24.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.62 ₡731

3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$4.81 ₡2,169

-58.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$1.68 ₡758

52.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.16

$3.91 ₡1,765

-67.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

$3.63 ₡1,640

-64.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.13 ₡509

12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.08

$2.63 ₡1,188

-54.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 €5.14

$5.02 ₡2,267

14.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.19

$19.71 ₡8,893

-65.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.35

$2.91 ₡1,314

-48.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$3.54 ₡1,597

-43.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.21 ₡545

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.21 €38.82

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-41.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.77

$2.15 ₡969

43.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €1.00

$1.63 ₡738

-31.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 €7.91

$8.77 ₡3,958

0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.55 ₡700

14.84%

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

$38.2K €34.3K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

12.83%

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

$26.6K €23.9K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-30.96%

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

$190 €170

$95.2 ₡43.0K

99.32%

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

$22.50 €20.21

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-38.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.64 €28.42

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-39.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 €45.37

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-25.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.55 €13.07

$35.55 ₡16.0K

-59.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 €7.96

$7.54 ₡3,404

17.51%

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

$243 €218

$496 ₡224.0K

-51.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,090 €7,267

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-31.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.0 €84.4

$55.1 ₡24.9K

70.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 €35.03

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-30.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.2

$77.8 ₡35.1K

34.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$79.1 ₡35.7K

33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 €612

$817 ₡368.9K

-16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 €473

$806 ₡363.6K

-34.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 €1,002

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-72.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 €744

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-42.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,155 €3,733

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-41.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,241 €2,911

$1,197 ₡540.1K

170.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

8.62

-49.54%

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

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hvar

$526 34.6%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 53.1% $279

Groceries & Markets

Hvar

$260 17.1%

Nosara

$351 19% 35.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hvar

$244 16%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 24.8% $60

Eating Out

Hvar

$210 13.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 1.6% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Hvar

$155 10.2%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 21.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Hvar

$68 4.5%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 21.1% $14

Getting Around

Hvar

$59 3.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 51% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $681 in Hvar and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Hvar vs $61 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $351, with Hvar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Hvar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

09:20 9:20 AM

7 h behind Hvar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,979

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hvar Nosara 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hvar
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

Hvar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hvar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,283 in Hvar and $2,769 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: $681 in Hvar versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61 versus $73 in Hvar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,522 per month in Hvar versus $1,846 in Nosara – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Hvar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Hvar 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.