Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Havana

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
Learn more

Havana Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Havana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $860 in Havana.

Nosara $1,839
Havana $860

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,388 in Havana.

Nosara $2,828
Havana $1,388

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,916 in Havana.

Nosara $3,818
Havana $1,916

Living in Nosara is roughly 114% more expensive than in Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.59 CUP 86.3

244.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.63 CUP 663

121.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.88 CUP 117

54.10%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.06 CUP 25.42

316.04%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.51 CUP 36.33

15.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.99 CUP 23.80

32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.24 CUP 29.66

164.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.05 CUP 49.10

118.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-41.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.22 CUP 29.26

147.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.76 CUP 42.35

42.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.50 CUP 83.9

2.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.52 CUP 108

64.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.66 CUP 112

125.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.56 CUP 205

63.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.20 CUP 149

-62.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.02 CUP 24.55

57.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.83 CUP 92.0

25.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.24 CUP 53.8

-28.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.93 CUP 70.2

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.74 CUP 65.7

34.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.72 CUP 17.33

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 CUP 13.60

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.61 CUP 38.72

221.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.37 CUP 129

270.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.77 CUP 42.38

63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.05 CUP 49.30

77.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.63 CUP 15.17

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$22.13 CUP 531

228.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.63 CUP 63.1

-18.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.33 CUP 7.98

375.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$19.63 CUP 471

-56.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.27 CUP 30.50

19.69%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

-64.24%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

-41.61%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$46.62 CUP 1,119

106.54%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$39.24 CUP 942

-8.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$89.3 CUP 2,144

-40.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$16.35 CUP 392

337.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.84 CUP 308

171.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$0.83 CUP 19.99

850.60%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$156 CUP 3,752

216.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

-4.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.2 CUP 1,253

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.71 CUP 1,001

32.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.0 CUP 1,919

-2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$67.6 CUP 1,623

17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$246 CUP 5,911

219.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$219 CUP 5,245

263.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$872 CUP 20.9K

351.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$508 CUP 12.2K

179.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$314 CUP 7,545

2098.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$407 CUP 9,762

200.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$29.60 CUP 710

2817.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.1

-5.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Havana

$219 25.4% 72.5% $576

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Havana

$234 27.2% 33.6% $118

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Havana

$76 8.9% 63.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Havana

$175 20.4% 5.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Havana

$109 12.6% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Havana

$18 2.1% 79.4% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Havana

$29 3.4% 66.8% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $246 in Havana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 2817% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $28.00 in Havana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $234 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, 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).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Havana 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Havana

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 Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Havana differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $860 including rent). Havana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2817% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $246 in Havana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Havana – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $860 in Havana – a 114% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $860 in Havana versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Havana 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 Havana 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 Havana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.