Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $667 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
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Hawalli Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hawalli

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $667 in Hawalli, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Hawalli $667

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,779 in Hawalli, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Hawalli $2,779

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,892 in Hawalli, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Hawalli $4,892

Nosara costs about 176% more than Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Hawalli is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.89 KWD 1.51

152.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$64.8 KWD 19.97

-5.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.77 KWD 2.70

-14.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.79 KWD 1.48

-7.93%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.44 KWD 0.14

295.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.29 KWD 0.09

351.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.58 KWD 0.49

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.53 KWD 0.47

97.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.96 KWD 0.60

28.06%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.08 KWD 0.64

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.14 KWD 0.97

136.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.72 KWD 1.45

122.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$3.27 KWD 1.01

327.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.47 KWD 0.76

-4.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.90 KWD 0.58

-15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.76 KWD 0.54

172.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.47 KWD 0.45

9.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.31 KWD 0.40

190.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.42 KWD 0.44

159.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.35 KWD 0.72

-51.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.53 KWD 0.16

401.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.74 KWD 0.84

89.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.83 KWD 0.26

34.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$49.05 KWD 15.11

48.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.73 KWD 1.46

-54.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-52.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$15.74 KWD 4.85

-45.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.35 KWD 0.11

334.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K KWD 6,484

2.67%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.3K KWD 6,246

70.28%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$66.5 KWD 20.49

44.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.61 KWD 6.97

58.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.42 KWD 7.83

110.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$63.8 KWD 19.66

12.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.40 KWD 3.51

-30.79%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$299 KWD 92.1

65.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,529 KWD 2,936

24.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$31.80 KWD 9.80

69.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.08 KWD 12.04

41.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.7 KWD 30.09

-20.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$89.1 KWD 27.45

-10.64%

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

$3,238 KWD 998

-56.17%

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

$1,865 KWD 575

-53.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.53

32.01%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hawalli: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 57.2% $202

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Hawalli

$126 18.9% 40.6% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Hawalli

$115 17.2% 38.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Hawalli

$116 17.4% 3.5% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hawalli

$87 13% 0.9% $0.8

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Hawalli

$74 11% 15.6% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 116% higher in Hawalli, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $65.0 in Hawalli. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $151 in Hawalli – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

02:43 2:43 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

164,212

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, 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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Hawalli 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hawalli

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 Hawalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $667 in Hawalli – roughly 176% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,001 in Hawalli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 134% more in Nosara, 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 $65.0 in Hawalli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $667 in Hawalli to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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