Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,450 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hulhumale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,450 in Hulhumale.

Nosara $1,837
Hulhumale $1,450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,606 in Hulhumale.

Nosara $2,775
Hulhumale $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,762 in Hulhumale.

Nosara $3,712
Hulhumale $3,762

Living in Nosara is roughly 27% more expensive than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Hulhumale 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.15 MVR 94.9

98.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$38.70 MVR 597

55.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.60 MVR 148

-21.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MVR 76.5

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.56 MVR 54.8

21.07%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.61 MVR 24.81

6.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.31 MVR 4.83

335.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.60 MVR 24.63

-1.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.64 MVR 25.27

93.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.33 MVR 5.11

633.33%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.85 MVR 28.55

92.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$3.30 MVR 50.8

125.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.17 MVR 95.2

68.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.60 MVR 148

42.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.91 MVR 60.3

-40.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.08 MVR 47.48

-47.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.82 MVR 43.56

68.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.71 MVR 41.71

-38.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.22 MVR 18.88

204.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.11 MVR 17.10

221.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.12 MVR 32.72

-48.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.62 MVR 9.50

311.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 MVR 187

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MVR 41.25

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 30.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$12.87 MVR 198

-61.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.89 MVR 29.12

18.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.91 MVR 29.39

-18.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$10.07 MVR 155

-12.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.98 MVR 15.12

60.20%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$33.0K MVR 508.2K

-33.85%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.5K MVR 455.6K

17.22%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$102 MVR 1,568

-8.09%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$30.38 MVR 469

15.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$72.4 MVR 1,117

-28.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.82 MVR 151

-20.16%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$186 MVR 2,863

163.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,007 MVR 46.4K

295.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$38.95 MVR 601

37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$50.3 MVR 775

10.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$86.9 MVR 1,340

-8.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$51.6 MVR 796

52.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,118 MVR 17.2K

-29.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$786 MVR 12.1K

-0.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,270 MVR 35.0K

70.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$2,293 MVR 35.4K

-38.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$5,453 MVR 84.1K

27.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$506 MVR 7,802

137.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$710 MVR 10.9K

23.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-38.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Hulhumale

$786 54.3% 0.8% $6.4

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Hulhumale

$195 13.5% 44.1% $154

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Hulhumale

$128 8.9% 38.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Hulhumale

$204 14.1% 13.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Hulhumale

$102 7.1% 14.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 77.4% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8% 86.9% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $1,118 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 23% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $39.00 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $195 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

11 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Hulhumale 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hulhumale

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 Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hulhumale wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hulhumale the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $1,118 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $186 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hulhumale – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,450 in Hulhumale versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hulhumale but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hulhumale the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hulhumale delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,450 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hulhumale hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Hulhumale 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 Hulhumale gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.