Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho: $670 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Ho
🇬🇭 Ghana
$670
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $670 in Ho.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Ho $670

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,129 in Ho.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Ho $1,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,587 in Ho.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Ho $1,587

Living in Nosara is roughly 174% more expensive than in Ho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Ho is 50% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,547
$8.24 GHS 95.6
49.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.5K
$50.8 GHS 589
20.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,377
$10.32 GHS 120
-27.13%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,981
$4.31 GHS 50.0
2.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡781
$1.59 GHS 18.47
9.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡588
$0.48 GHS 5.59
172.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,473
$1.84 GHS 21.32
78.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,007
$2.19 GHS 25.45
104.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡702
$3.66 GHS 42.45
-57.38%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,357
$1.67 GHS 19.42
80.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,127
$3.06 GHS 35.53
-17.97%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,605
$2.61 GHS 30.24
36.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,338
$11.79 GHS 137
-36.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,724
$7.18 GHS 83.3
46.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,274
$9.75 GHS 113
43.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,054
$3.59 GHS 41.59
-34.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡721
$1.45 GHS 16.81
11.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,155
$1.75 GHS 20.34
174.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡725
$3.54 GHS 41.07
-54.52%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,706
$2.76 GHS 31.97
37.68%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,659
$2.65 GHS 30.69
39.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.70 GHS 8.06
61.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,193
$0.61 GHS 7.03
336.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,324
$2.61 GHS 30.22
98.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,929
$7.19 GHS 83.4
176.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,302
$1.28 GHS 14.88
126.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,628
$2.40 GHS 27.84
51.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Ho
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡505
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡959
$1.68 GHS 19.46
27.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡704
$1.24 GHS 14.34
26.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,828
$4.13 GHS 47.85
106.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡683
$1.33 GHS 15.47
14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$8,092 GHS 93.9K
167.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$9,939 GHS 115.3K
247.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$73.8 GHS 856
30.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$19.36 GHS 225
85.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.1K
$41.97 GHS 487
27.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.2K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,544
$12.68 GHS 147
-37.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.9K
$454 GHS 5,265
8.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$18.6K GHS 215.9K
-36.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$14.36 GHS 167
275.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.9K
$18.72 GHS 217
195.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡35.0K
$35.80 GHS 415
117.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.8K
$52.0 GHS 604
52.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Ho
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.9K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.7K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡637.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Ho
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
26.75
-67.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ho: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Ho
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Ho
$277 21.4% $75
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Ho
$171 19.5% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Ho
$135 27.3% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Ho
$54 54.7% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Ho
$25 * 71% $62
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Ho
$7.9 * 91% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $51.0 in Ho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $277 per month, with Ho cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇬🇭 Ho
🕒 Local time
02:28 2:28 AM
08:28 8:28 AM
6 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
83,715
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Ho 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Ho

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 Ho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Nosara and in Ho?
Nosara and Ho differ by about 174% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $670 including rent). Ho is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Ho?
You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,005 in Ho to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nosara and Ho?
Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $454 in Ho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Ho – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $670 in Ho versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ho but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Ho?
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.
Is Nosara or Ho safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Ho are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Nosara or Ho?
Expats usually find Ho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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