Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bien Hoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bien Hoa: $660 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bien Hoa
Learn more

Bien Hoa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bien Hoa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bien Hoa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Bien Hoa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $660 in Bien Hoa.

Nosara $1,839
Bien Hoa $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $916 in Bien Hoa.

Nosara $2,828
Bien Hoa $916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,172 in Bien Hoa.

Nosara $3,818
Bien Hoa $1,172

Living in Nosara is roughly 179% more expensive than in Bien Hoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bien Hoa is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.95 ₫50.4K

533.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$11.65 ₫301.5K

425.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.50 ₫116.4K

67.11%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.13 ₫29.2K

290.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.42 ₫10.8K

314.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.23 ₫5,980

469.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.52 ₫13.4K

530.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$0.75 ₫19.4K

496.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.28 ₫33.2K

21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.80 ₫20.8K

277.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.86 ₫22.2K

191.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.37 ₫35.5K

160.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.01 ₫311.0K

-38.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$1.89 ₫48.8K

456.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.39 ₫243.0K

48.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.08 ₫53.8K

12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.23 ₫31.9K

30.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.14 ₫29.4K

321.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.92 ₫23.8K

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.21 ₫31.4K

214.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.18 ₫30.5K

212.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.44 ₫11.3K

156.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.49 ₫12.7K

442.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.26 ₫32.5K

311.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.62 ₫197.3K

160.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.42 ₫10.9K

590.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$0.74 ₫19.3K

390.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.32 ₫8,180

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$6.62 ₫171.3K

997.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.46 ₫11.8K

365.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.55 ₫14.3K

185.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.17 ₫30.2K

628.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.85 ₫21.9K

78.82%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$30.5K ₫790.0M

-29.19%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.4K ₫787.3M

13.50%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$50.6 ₫1.3M

90.22%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.21 ₫109.0K

752.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$6.78 ₫175.4K

690.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$10.83 ₫280.4K

561.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.91 ₫204.7K

341.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.38 ₫87.4K

133.43%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$67.6 ₫1.8M

630.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.2K ₫366.8M

-16.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$15.41 ₫399.1K

250.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$15.53 ₫402.1K

256.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$68.3 ₫1.8M

14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$95.1 ₫2.5M

-16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$404 ₫10.4M

95.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$270 ₫7.0M

194.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$415 ₫10.7M

848.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$310 ₫8.0M

357.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,888 ₫74.8M

139.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,326 ₫34.3M

-7.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$302 ₫7.8M

186.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.8

10.51%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bien Hoa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bien Hoa

$270 40.9% 66% $524

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bien Hoa

$163 24.7% 53.8% $189

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bien Hoa

$49 7.5% 76.7% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bien Hoa

$62 9.3% 66.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bien Hoa

$87 13.3% 27.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bien Hoa

$18 2.7% 79.9% $70

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bien Hoa

$11 1.7% 87.3% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $404 in Bien Hoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 186% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $12.00 in Bien Hoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $163 per month, with Bien Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Bien Hoa

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,272,235

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Bien Hoa 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bien Hoa

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

Nosara vs Bien Hoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bien Hoa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 179% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 186% higher in Nosara, 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: $788 in Nosara versus $404 in Bien Hoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bien Hoa – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $660 in Bien Hoa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bien Hoa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bien Hoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bien Hoa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bien Hoa 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 Bien Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.