Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamra: $1,000 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Hamra
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Hamra Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Hamra

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hamra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,000 in Hamra.

Nosara $1,839
Hamra $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,601 in Hamra.

Nosara $2,828
Hamra $1,601

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,203 in Hamra.

Nosara $3,818
Hamra $2,203

Living in Nosara is roughly 84% more expensive than in Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Hamra is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.04 LBP 1.1M

2.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

-11.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.89 LBP 884.8K

-23.96%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.51 LBP 403.9K

-2.22%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.27 LBP 203.2K

-23.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

45.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.88 LBP 436.6K

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.81 LBP 430.7K

-7.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.98 LBP 177.2K

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.89 LBP 79.9K

239.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.24 LBP 200.2K

12.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.52 LBP 315.3K

1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.22 LBP 1.0M

-33.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.58 LBP 946.6K

-0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.75 LBP 1.3M

-5.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.99 LBP 268.0K

-21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.71 LBP 153.1K

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.69 LBP 150.9K

184.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.46 LBP 131.1K

10.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

201.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.55 LBP 138.4K

138.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.17 LBP 104.6K

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.69 LBP 61.6K

285.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.08 LBP 275.5K

68.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.83 LBP 968.9K

83.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.33 LBP 119.0K

118.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.58 LBP 231.1K

40.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.98 LBP 445.7K

-57.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.31 LBP 206.9K

-32.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.69 LBP 2.0M

-62.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.06 LBP 94.7K

43.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$52.9K LBP 4.7B

-59.18%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.5K LBP 2.9B

6.21%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$233 LBP 20.9M

-58.68%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.40 LBP 2.0M

60.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$37.66 LBP 3.4M

42.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.96 LBP 891.0K

-20.78%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$690 LBP 61.8M

-28.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K LBP 956.8M

10.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

-20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.41 LBP 4.3M

14.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$137 LBP 12.3M

-43.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$119 LBP 10.7M

-33.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hamra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Hamra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Hamra

$275 27.5% 21.9% $77

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Hamra

$227 22.7% 7.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Hamra

$293 29.3% 57.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Hamra

$168 16.8% 39.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hamra

$20 * 2% 77.2% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Hamra

$17 * 1.7% 81% $71

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 $69.0 in Hamra. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $275, with Hamra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇧 Hamra

🕒 Local time

11:54 11:54 AM

20:54 8:54 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,251,739

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Hamra 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hamra

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 Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Hamra differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,000 including rent). Hamra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,499 in Hamra 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.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $690 in Hamra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamra – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,000 in Hamra versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamra but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hamra 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 Hamra 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 Hamra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.