Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Haapsalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Haapsalu: $1,526 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Haapsalu
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Haapsalu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Haapsalu

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Haapsalu

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 Haapsalu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,526 in Haapsalu.

Nosara $1,839
Haapsalu $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,255 in Haapsalu.

Nosara $2,828
Haapsalu $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,984 in Haapsalu.

Nosara $3,818
Haapsalu $2,984

Living in Nosara is roughly 20% more expensive than in Haapsalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Haapsalu 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$17.05 €15.21

-27.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$69.4 €61.9

-11.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$10.97 €9.79

-31.45%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$4.16 €3.71

6.01%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$3.32 €2.97

-47.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$3.68 €3.28

-64.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$6.28 €5.60

-47.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$7.20 €6.42

-37.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.23 €1.10

26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.93 €1.72

56.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.31 €2.06

8.66%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$2.93 €2.62

21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$12.64 €11.27

-41.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$8.34 €7.44

26.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$15.03 €13.40

-7.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.03 €1.81

15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.50 €1.34

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.42 €2.16

98.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.98 €2.66

-45.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.04 €0.92

265.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$0.90 €0.80

310.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.83 €1.63

-38.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.18 €1.06

125.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$6.65 €5.93

-22.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$10.29 €9.17

93.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$2.02 €1.80

43.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$2.42 €2.16

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.11 €0.99

0.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$17.05 €15.21

326.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$3.46 €3.09

-38.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.99 €0.88

58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$26.92 €24.01

-68.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.92 €1.71

-20.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.9K €24.9K

-22.61%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.5K €27.2K

13.23%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$309 €276

-68.85%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.66 €15.75

103.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$35.39 €31.56

51.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$43.90 €39.16

63.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$28.34 €25.28

23.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$6.58 €5.87

19.91%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$438 €391

12.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.0K €10.7K

-1.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$111 €98.9

-51.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$49.06 €43.76

12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$105 €93.4

-25.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$117 €104

-31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$396 €353

99.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$330 €294

140.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$510 €455

672.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$440 €393

222.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,248 €2,005

207.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$1,660 €1,480

-26.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$1,392 €1,241

-37.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.93

119.34%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Haapsalu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Haapsalu

$330 21.6% 58.5% $465

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Haapsalu

$283 18.5% 19.7% $69

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Haapsalu

$293 19.2% 38.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Haapsalu

$362 23.7% 95% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Haapsalu

$172 11.3% 42.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Haapsalu

$57 3.7% 34.7% $30

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Haapsalu

$30 2% 65.7% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $396 in Haapsalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haapsalu pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $69.0 in Haapsalu. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $283, with Haapsalu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇪 Haapsalu

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,593

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Haapsalu 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Haapsalu

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 Haapsalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Haapsalu differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,526 including rent). Haapsalu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Haapsalu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $396 in Haapsalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,526 in Haapsalu – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haapsalu runs roughly 326% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,526 in Haapsalu versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haapsalu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Haapsalu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Nosara and Haapsalu 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 Haapsalu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.