Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hama

For one person, living is cheaper in Hama: $557 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Hama
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Hama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Hama

🇸🇾 Syria

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $557 in Hama.

Nosara $1,835
Hama $557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $868 in Hama.

Nosara $2,825
Hama $868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,180 in Hama.

Nosara $3,814
Hama $1,180

Living in Nosara is roughly 230% more expensive than in Hama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Hama is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$7.62 SYP 926

61.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$30.44 SYP 3,699

101.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$2.70 SYP 329

187.41%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.16 SYP 141

282.76%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.26 SYP 275

-20.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.87 SYP 106

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.95 SYP 237

66.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.79 SYP 218

147.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.06 SYP 129

46.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.42 SYP 50.8

633.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.57 SYP 191

61.15%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.64 SYP 199

110.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$3.84 SYP 467

90.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.57 SYP 677

83.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$13.90 SYP 1,689

1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.08 SYP 131

112.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.42 SYP 173

15.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.11 SYP 135

331.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.05 SYP 128

56.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.74 SYP 89.5

420.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.79 SYP 96.3

374.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.40 SYP 48.65

172.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.61 SYP 74.6

324.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.74 SYP 333

86.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.14 SYP 746

224.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.10 SYP 134

154.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.91 SYP 353

20.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.20 SYP 23.72

510.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.02 SYP 123

112.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.49 SYP 181

4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$7.89 SYP 959

9.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$3.60 SYP 437

-56.94%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

130.82%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

99.18%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$143 SYP 17.3K

-33.57%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$9.32 SYP 1,132

287.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$23.15 SYP 2,814

129.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.39 SYP 655

46.75%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$67.9 SYP 8,249

622.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,747 SYP 212.2K

580.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$28.42 SYP 3,454

92.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$39.97 SYP 4,857

39.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$59.9 SYP 7,277

34.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.8 SYP 7,143

32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.25

-39.51%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Hama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Hama

$169 30.3% 51.8% $181

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Hama

$109 19.6% 48.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Hama

$175 31.5% 4.8% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Hama

$84 15.1% 30.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Hama

$11 * 1.9% 88% $79

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Hama

$9.2 * 1.7% 89.6% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $30.00 in Hama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $169 per month, with Hama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇾 Hama

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

312,994

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Hama 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hama

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 Hama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Hama differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $557 including rent). Hama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $835 in Hama 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $557 in Hama – a 230% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $557 in Hama versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hama 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 Hama 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 Hama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.