Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat Hamad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,199 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,199

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,199 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,199
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,913
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,626 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $2,626
Nosara $3,818

Madinat Hamad is about 35% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madinat Hamad sits 11% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.61 BHD 0.99

$12.35 ₡5,539

-78.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 BHD 20.02

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-13.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 BHD 2.76

$7.52 ₡3,373

-2.93%

Cappuccino

$2.60 BHD 0.98

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.04%

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

$0.90 BHD 0.34

$1.74 ₡780

-48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 BHD 2.44

$3.28 ₡1,471

97.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.81 BHD 3.70

$4.47 ₡2,004

119.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 BHD 0.53

$1.56 ₡701

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 BHD 0.39

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 BHD 0.90

$2.51 ₡1,125

-5.18%

Eggs

$2.06 BHD 0.78

$3.57 ₡1,603

-42.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 BHD 3.24

$7.43 ₡3,333

15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 BHD 2.41

$10.52 ₡4,717

-39.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 BHD 3.28

$13.97 ₡6,265

-37.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 BHD 0.82

$2.35 ₡1,052

-8.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$1.61 ₡720

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BHD 0.73

$4.80 ₡2,152

-59.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 BHD 0.50

$1.61 ₡724

-17.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BHD 0.38

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 BHD 0.41

$3.69 ₡1,657

-70.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 BHD 0.59

$1.13 ₡507

38.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BHD 0.21

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 BHD 2.02

$5.18 ₡2,321

3.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 BHD 6.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-7.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 BHD 1.39

$2.90 ₡1,300

26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 BHD 0.97

$3.63 ₡1,626

-28.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 BHD 0.24

$1.12 ₡504

-43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.67 BHD 13.09

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-52.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 BHD 2.02

$2.14 ₡958

150.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 BHD 0.98

$1.57 ₡703

65.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.62 BHD 5.90

$8.52 ₡3,823

83.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BHD 0.15

$1.52 ₡682

-74.34%

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

$37.6K BHD 14.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.13%

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

$20.7K BHD 7,822

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-39.95%

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

$155 BHD 58.4

$96.3 ₡43.2K

60.71%

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

$24.29 BHD 9.17

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.20 BHD 6.87

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-66.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 BHD 45.06

$71.6 ₡32.1K

66.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$52.4 BHD 19.76

$34.91 ₡15.7K

49.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.16 BHD 1.95

$7.89 ₡3,539

-34.60%

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

$489 BHD 185

$494 ₡221.6K

-1.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K BHD 4,170

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 BHD 18.90

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-7.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 BHD 22.09

$55.4 ₡24.8K

5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 BHD 33.53

$77.9 ₡34.9K

14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 BHD 33.54

$79.6 ₡35.7K

11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 BHD 150

$788 ₡353.4K

-49.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 BHD 120

$794 ₡356.2K

-59.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 BHD 304

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 BHD 251

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-53.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$669 BHD 252

$864 ₡387.3K

-22.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

8.62

-27.96%

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

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madinat Hamad

$318 26.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 150% $476

Groceries & Markets

Madinat Hamad

$239 19.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.8% $11

Eating Out

Madinat Hamad

$131 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 61.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat Hamad

$130 10.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.8% $8.8

Getting Around

Madinat Hamad

$56 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 56.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in Madinat Hamad versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Madinat Hamad versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $352 – making Madinat Hamad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

9 h behind Madinat Hamad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,350

4,912

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 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 BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madinat Hamad Nosara 13,800 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Madinat Hamad
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

Madinat Hamad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,199 in Madinat Hamad, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,798 per month in Madinat Hamad and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 110% less in Madinat Hamad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $489 per month in Madinat Hamad and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Madinat Hamad, where all-in costs run around $1,199, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Madinat Hamad 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 $1,199 in Madinat Hamad 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 Madinat Hamad. 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.