Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hamrun

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamrun: $1,670 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Hamrun
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Hamrun Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Hamrun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hamrun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,670 in Hamrun.

Nosara $1,839
Hamrun $1,670

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,558 in Hamrun.

Nosara $2,828
Hamrun $2,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,445 in Hamrun.

Nosara $3,818
Hamrun $3,445

Living in Nosara is roughly 10% more expensive than in Hamrun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Hamrun 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.76 €11.35

-3.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.7 €49.50

9.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.69 €7.73

-13.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.99 €1.77

121.61%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.00 €1.78

-13.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.36 €1.21

-3.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.91 €1.70

71.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.26 €2.01

97.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.27 €1.13

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.32 €1.17

128.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.26 €3.79

-41.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.36 €3.87

-18.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.38 €7.45

-11.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.25 €9.12

2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.10 €16.10

-22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.05 €3.60

-41.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.71 €2.41

-40.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.54 €3.15

35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.43 €3.05

-53.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.42 €2.15

57.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.96 €1.74

88.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.26 €2.01

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.35 €1.20

97.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.58 €5.85

-21.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.91 €7.03

151.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.74 €1.55

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.41 €2.14

50.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.47 €2.20

-54.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.54 €4.92

-61.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.29 €2.03

-31.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$27.03 €24.04

-68.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.52 €1.35

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.4K €33.3K

-42.26%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.5K €34.2K

-10.24%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$101 €89.7

-4.51%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.10 €22.33

42.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.69 €24.63

93.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$61.2 €54.4

17.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.86 €8.77

-19.98%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$363 €323

36.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.3K €10.0K

5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$88.6 €78.8

-39.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.07 €36.53

34.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$100.0 €88.9

-22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.0 €69.4

2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$834 €742

-5.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$767 €682

3.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,564 €1,391

151.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,333 €1,186

6.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,965 €3,527

74.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,772 €2,466

-55.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.9

197.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hamrun: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Hamrun

$767 45.9% 3.5% $28

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Hamrun

$325 19.4% 7.9% $28

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Hamrun

$180 10.8% 15.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Hamrun

$154 9.2% 17.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Hamrun

$138 8.3% 15.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hamrun

$81 4.8% 7.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Hamrun

$27 * 1.6% 69.2% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $834 in Hamrun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $56.0 in Hamrun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $325 per month, with Hamrun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Hamrun

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

9,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Hamrun 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hamrun

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 Hamrun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamrun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $2,506 in Hamrun 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $834 in Hamrun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,670 in Hamrun – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,670 in Hamrun versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamrun but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hamrun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hamrun 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 Hamrun 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 Hamrun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.