Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hai Phong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $688 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
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Hai Phong Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hai Phong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $688 in Hai Phong.

Nosara $1,837
Hai Phong $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,162 in Hai Phong.

Nosara $2,775
Hai Phong $1,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,635 in Hai Phong.

Nosara $3,712
Hai Phong $1,635

Living in Nosara is roughly 167% more expensive than in Hai Phong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Hai Phong is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$1.57 ₫40.7K

678.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$18.94 ₫491.3K

217.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$4.26 ₫110.6K

77.00%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$1.82 ₫47.2K

136.81%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$0.47 ₫12.3K

265.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.30 ₫7,732

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$0.80 ₫20.8K

305.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$1.58 ₫41.1K

183.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.55 ₫40.3K

1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$0.51 ₫13.3K

521.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$0.82 ₫21.2K

195.12%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$1.45 ₫37.6K

146.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$10.46 ₫271.3K

-28.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$3.79 ₫98.4K

174.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$9.96 ₫258.2K

37.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$3.39 ₫87.9K

-31.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.08 ₫27.9K

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$1.33 ₫34.5K

256.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$1.14 ₫29.5K

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$0.96 ₫24.9K

287.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$1.10 ₫28.4K

224.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$0.55 ₫14.1K

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$0.55 ₫14.4K

363.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$1.16 ₫30.0K

326.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

$12.41 ₫321.8K

61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$0.74 ₫19.2K

277.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$1.67 ₫43.2K

111.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

$0.39 ₫10.0K

205.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$5.66 ₫146.7K

1173.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$0.80 ₫20.8K

180.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$0.57 ₫14.7K

171.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$1.90 ₫49.2K

366.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.89 ₫23.1K

76.40%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$30.6K ₫793.5M

-28.74%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$30.1K ₫779.8M

15.19%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$44.54 ₫1.2M

109.81%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$5.21 ₫135.0K

573.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$8.69 ₫225.3K

492.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

$22.88 ₫593.4K

212.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

$7.79 ₫202.0K

354.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$4.14 ₫107.4K

89.37%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$154 ₫4.0M

218.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,579 ₫118.8M

159.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$45.45 ₫1.2M

17.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$21.39 ₫554.6K

160.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$84.3 ₫2.2M

-6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$77.0 ₫2.0M

2.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

$246 ₫6.4M

219.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

$245 ₫6.4M

218.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,018 ₫26.4M

279.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

$627 ₫16.3M

124.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,324 ₫34.3M

426.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

$977 ₫25.3M

22.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

$501 ₫13.0M

75.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

23.14%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hai Phong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Hai Phong

$245 35.2% 68.6% $535

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Hai Phong

$190 27.3% 45.6% $159

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Hai Phong

$57 8.3% 72.6% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Hai Phong

$58 8.4% 67.5% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Hai Phong

$103 14.8% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hai Phong

$31 4.5% 64.2% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hai Phong

$11 1.6% 87.5% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $246 in Hai Phong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 75% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $19.00 in Hai Phong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $190 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

08:39 8:39 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,105,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Hai Phong 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Hai Phong differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $688 including rent). Hai Phong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $246 in Hai Phong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $688 in Hai Phong – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 1173% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $688 in Hai Phong versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.