Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hedland and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,594 in Port Hedland, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Hedland
Learn more

Port Hedland Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Hedland

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,594

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Hedland and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Hedland and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,594 per month in Port Hedland vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Hedland $2,594
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,652 per month in Port Hedland vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Hedland $3,652
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,709 per month in Port Hedland vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Hedland $4,709
Nosara $3,818

Port Hedland costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Port Hedland and Nosara sit above the global median – Port Hedland by 92%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.23 A$24.80

$12.35 ₡5,539

39.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$122

$61.2 ₡27.4K

39.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 A$16.33

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.93%

Cappuccino

$3.86 A$5.56

$4.41 ₡1,978

-12.47%

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

$2.74 A$3.94

$1.74 ₡780

57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.03

$1.31 ₡587

60.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.85

$3.28 ₡1,471

129.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.32

$4.47 ₡2,004

75.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 A$4.38

$3.02 ₡1,355

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.94

$2.51 ₡1,125

-18.73%

Eggs

$4.13 A$5.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.78

$7.43 ₡3,333

28.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 A$14.91

$10.52 ₡4,717

-1.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 A$18.57

$13.97 ₡6,265

-7.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.47

$2.35 ₡1,052

61.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$1.61 ₡720

63.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.67

$4.80 ₡2,152

-32.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 A$7.31

$1.61 ₡724

215.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 A$4.27

$3.80 ₡1,703

-21.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.12

$3.69 ₡1,657

-41.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 A$3.14

$1.13 ₡507

92.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.27

$2.66 ₡1,191

-40.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$40.75 A$58.6

$5.18 ₡2,321

686.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 A$20.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.32

$2.90 ₡1,300

51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 A$8.42

$3.63 ₡1,626

61.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 A$4.26

$1.12 ₡504

164.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.7 A$110

$72.6 ₡32.6K

5.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 A$5.33

$2.14 ₡958

73.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 A$2.21

$1.57 ₡703

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.67 A$52.8

$8.52 ₡3,823

330.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$23.8K A$34.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

10.15%

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

$32.9K A$47.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-4.77%

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

$191 A$275

$96.3 ₡43.2K

98.75%

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

$26.00 A$37.41

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-27.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 A$82.9

$53.6 ₡24.0K

7.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 A$73.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-28.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$25.30

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.64%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 A$22.68

$7.89 ₡3,539

99.75%

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

$2,173 A$3,126

$494 ₡221.6K

339.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K A$25.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

46.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 A$108

$53.9 ₡24.2K

38.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.0 A$86.3

$55.4 ₡24.8K

8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$77.9 ₡34.9K

33.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 A$168

$79.6 ₡35.7K

46.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 A$1,977

$788 ₡353.4K

74.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 A$1,899

$794 ₡356.2K

66.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 A$3,080

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 A$2,634

$1,419 ₡636.5K

28.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,259 A$9,007

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-9.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,371 A$6,291

$1,224 ₡549.0K

257.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,111 A$7,355

$864 ₡387.3K

491.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

8.62

-32.25%

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

Last update for Port Hedland: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Hedland

$1.3K 50.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 39.8% $525

Groceries & Markets

Port Hedland

$366 14.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.8% $14

Eating Out

Port Hedland

$291 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 27.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hedland

$275 10.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hedland

$160 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.9% $40

Getting Around

Port Hedland

$100 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 12.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hedland

$83 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.5% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,374 in Port Hedland versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 492% higher in Port Hedland, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Port Hedland versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Hedland

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

14 h behind Port Hedland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,298

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Hedland Nosara 17,180 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Hedland
Nosara

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

Port Hedland vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,594 in Port Hedland, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,892 per month in Port Hedland and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,173 per month in Port Hedland and $494 in Nosara. 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 Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Port Hedland at $2,594. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Hedland 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,594 in Port Hedland. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Hedland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.