Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hvar

For one person, living is cheaper in Hvar: $1,522 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Hvar
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Hvar Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Hvar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hvar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $1,522 in Hvar.

Nosara $1,846
Hvar $1,522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $2,310 in Hvar.

Nosara $2,833
Hvar $2,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $3,097 in Hvar.

Nosara $3,820
Hvar $3,097

Living in Nosara is roughly 21% more expensive than in Hvar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Hvar 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$13.08 €11.75

-5.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$72.8 €65.4

-16.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$9.13 €8.20

-13.69%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.53 €2.27

73.91%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$3.12 €2.80

-44.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$2.28 €2.05

-41.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.54 €3.18

-5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.09 €3.68

11.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.19 €1.07

37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$1.54 €1.39

105.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.99 €2.69

-20.07%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.88 €3.49

-10.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$10.69 €9.60

-33.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$9.48 €8.52

8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$11.72 €10.53

19.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$1.72 €1.55

33.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.67 €1.50

-2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$1.99 €1.79

141.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$2.57 €2.31

-34.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.29 €1.16

203.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$1.28 €1.15

183.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.27 €1.14

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.20 €1.08

119.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$5.73 €5.14

-12.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$6.89 €6.19

186.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.50 €1.35

94.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$1.99 €1.79

77.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.76 €1.58

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$43.21 €38.82

70.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$3.08 €2.77

-30.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.11 €1.00

46.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$8.80 €7.91

-0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.78 €1.60

-12.92%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$38.2K €34.3K

-11.37%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$26.6K €23.9K

44.85%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$190 €170

-49.83%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$22.50 €20.21

61.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$31.64 €28.42

64.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$50.5 €45.37

33.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$14.55 €13.07

144.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$8.86 €7.96

-14.90%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$243 €218

104.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$8,090 €7,267

45.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$94.0 €84.4

-41.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$39.00 €35.03

43.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$105 €94.2

-25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$106 €94.8

-25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$681 €612

20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$526 €473

53.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,116 €1,002

257.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$828 €744

72.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$4,155 €3,733

70.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$3,241 €2,911

-63.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.35

98.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Hvar

$526 34.6% 34.7% $279

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Hvar

$260 17.1% 26% $91

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Hvar

$210 13.8% 1.6% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Hvar

$244 16% 32.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Hvar

$155 10.2% 28.1% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Hvar

$59 3.9% 33.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Hvar

$68 4.5% 17.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $681 in Hvar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $73 in Hvar. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $260, with Hvar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇭🇷 Hvar

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

17:14 5:14 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,979

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Hvar 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hvar

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 Hvar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hvar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,769 in Nosara and $2,283 in Hvar 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $817 in Nosara versus $681 in Hvar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61 versus $73 in Hvar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,846 per month in Nosara versus $1,522 in Hvar – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Hvar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Hvar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.