Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Haugesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,654 in Haugesund, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Haugesund
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Haugesund Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Haugesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Haugesund

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,654 in Haugesund, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Haugesund $2,654

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,956 in Haugesund, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Haugesund $3,956

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,259 in Haugesund, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Haugesund $5,259

Nosara is about 31% cheaper than Haugesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Haugesund sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Haugesund by 97%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$21.97 NOK 207

-43.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$105 NOK 987

-41.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$14.38 NOK 135

-47.71%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.59 NOK 43.19

-3.92%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$5.08 NOK 47.78

-65.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.98 NOK 37.48

-67.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$11.63 NOK 109

-71.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$10.31 NOK 97.0

-56.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.18 NOK 20.52

-28.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.80 NOK 35.73

-20.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.50 NOK 32.92

-28.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.79 NOK 45.06

-25.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.80 NOK 111

-37.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$15.02 NOK 141

-29.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$33.81 NOK 318

-58.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.08 NOK 29.02

-23.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.12 NOK 20.00

-24.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.44 NOK 32.37

39.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.21 NOK 39.58

-61.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.42 NOK 22.77

57.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.32 NOK 31.23

11.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.00 NOK 28.20

-62.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.83 NOK 17.26

45.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$17.21 NOK 162

-69.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.47 NOK 136

37.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.58 NOK 33.70

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.16 NOK 39.17

-12.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.56 NOK 33.51

-68.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$67.4 NOK 635

7.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$12.19 NOK 115

-82.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.79 NOK 16.81

-12.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$56.2 NOK 529

-84.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.45 NOK 23.03

-37.96%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.3K NOK 417.0K

-51.22%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$43.5K NOK 409.6K

-20.67%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$275 NOK 2,591

-65.02%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.80 NOK 309

9.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$55.8 NOK 525

-3.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$49.71 NOK 468

44.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$36.17 NOK 341

-3.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$16.92 NOK 159

-53.37%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$241 NOK 2,269

104.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,918 NOK 27.5K

306.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$97.4 NOK 917

-44.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$53.6 NOK 504

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$87.1 NOK 820

-10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$155 NOK 1,463

-48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,576 NOK 14.8K

-50.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,067 NOK 10.0K

-25.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,099 NOK 19.8K

87.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,668 NOK 15.7K

-14.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$6,302 NOK 59.3K

9.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,637 NOK 43.6K

-73.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,952 NOK 37.2K

-78.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.2

65.77%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Haugesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Haugesund

$1.1K 40.2% 34.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Haugesund

$471 17.7% 33.6% $119

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Haugesund

$389 14.7% 83.6% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Haugesund

$364 13.7% 95.9% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Haugesund

$177 6.7% 47.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Haugesund

$84 3.2% 4.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Haugesund

$103 3.9% 18% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,576 in Haugesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 358% higher in Haugesund, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $105 in Haugesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $471 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇴 Haugesund

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

38,362

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Haugesund 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Haugesund

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 Haugesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haugesund costs about 44% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,981 in Haugesund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Haugesund, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $105 in Haugesund. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Haugesund at $2,654. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haugesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,654 in Haugesund. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.