Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
Learn more

Hawassa Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Hawassa $1,564

Nosara costs about 120% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.90 ETB 625

216.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$42.11 ETB 6,758

45.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.56 ETB 1,054

14.63%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$0.95 ETB 153

364.21%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.63 ETB 102

176.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.69 ETB 110

89.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.83 ETB 133

295.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.30 ETB 370

94.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.07 ETB 172

45.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.17 ETB 188

158.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.01 ETB 163

148.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.58 ETB 253

125.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.40 ETB 1,188

0.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.07 ETB 1,616

4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.09 ETB 1,458

53.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.35 ETB 859

-56.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.68 ETB 109

136.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.13 ETB 341

125.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.66 ETB 106

143.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.50 ETB 80.5

660.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.06 ETB 169

248.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.69 ETB 110

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 ETB 91.3

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-36.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.55 ETB 891

258.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.66 ETB 106

339.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.28 ETB 206

183.59%

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

$1.31 ETB 210

63.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.27 ETB 42.86

481.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.03 ETB 326

319.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.92 ETB 147

65.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-60.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-38.77%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$202 ETB 32.5K

-52.37%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.21 ETB 1,158

397.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$213 ETB 34.2K

-74.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.84 ETB 616

105.47%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$136 ETB 21.9K

262.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-60.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.37 ETB 5,356

61.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-21.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

-4.73%

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

$494 ETB 79.3K

147.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

18.5

-53.41%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 41.7% $147

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 64% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 128% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.2% $80

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 97% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $42.00 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $205 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

160,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Hawassa 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $834 in Hawassa – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,252 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $42.00 in Hawassa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Hawassa 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 $834 in Hawassa 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 Hawassa. 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.