Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Hella: $1,722 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hella

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,722 in Hella, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Hella $1,722

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,928 in Hella, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Hella $2,928

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,135 in Hella, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Hella $4,135

Nosara costs about 7% more than Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Hella sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Hella by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$123 ISK 14.9K

-50.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-72.29%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$6.93 ISK 841

-36.36%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.36 ISK 407

-48.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.07 ISK 373

-57.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-76.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-63.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.04 ISK 247

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$4.26 ISK 516

-29.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.58 ISK 434

-29.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$6.99 ISK 848

-48.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-66.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-57.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-65.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.35 ISK 406

-29.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.86 ISK 347

-43.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.13 ISK 379

53.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.62 ISK 803

-75.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.81 ISK 463

-0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.71 ISK 208

115.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.78 ISK 458

-70.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.77 ISK 215

50.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-62.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-15.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.71 ISK 449

-21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.50 ISK 425

3.71%

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

$6.61 ISK 802

-67.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.76 ISK 335

-43.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-89.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.09 ISK 253

-27.27%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-57.83%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-36.22%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

1.18%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.16 ISK 4,022

8.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-38.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-59.89%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

-58.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-53.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$147 ISK 17.8K

-63.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-17.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$183 ISK 22.2K

-57.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$253 ISK 30.7K

-68.55%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.81

-2.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Hella

$620 36% 76.1% $268

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Hella

$534 31% 152% $322

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Hella

$216 12.6% 16.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Hella

$292 17% 143% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 55% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 76.5% $67

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 $123 in Hella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $620 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

900

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, 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).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Hella 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,722 in Hella – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,583 in Hella. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,722 in Hella. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,198 in Hella. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Hella, where all-in costs run around $1,722, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Hella 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 $1,722 in Hella 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 Hella. 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.