Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Mafraq and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mafraq: $831 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Al Mafraq
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Al Mafraq Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Al Mafraq

🇯🇴 Jordan

$831

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Mafraq 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 Al Mafraq and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $831 per month in Al Mafraq vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mafraq $831
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,376 per month in Al Mafraq vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mafraq $1,376
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,922 per month in Al Mafraq vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mafraq $1,922
Nosara $3,818

Al Mafraq is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al Mafraq sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.25 JOD 5.13

$12.35 ₡5,539

-41.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 JOD 49.47

$61.2 ₡27.4K

14.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 JOD 4.96

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.91%

Cappuccino

$4.41 JOD 3.12

$4.41 ₡1,978

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

$0.65 JOD 0.46

$1.74 ₡780

-62.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 JOD 0.40

$1.31 ₡587

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.29 JOD 5.87

$3.28 ₡1,471

152.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.85 JOD 7.68

$4.47 ₡2,004

142.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.56 ₡701

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 JOD 0.50

$3.02 ₡1,355

-76.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 JOD 1.08

$2.51 ₡1,125

-39.44%

Eggs

$2.36 JOD 1.67

$3.57 ₡1,603

-33.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 JOD 6.74

$7.43 ₡3,333

28.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 JOD 4.53

$10.52 ₡4,717

-39.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.44 JOD 8.81

$13.97 ₡6,265

-10.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 JOD 1.87

$2.35 ₡1,052

12.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 JOD 1.47

$1.61 ₡720

29.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 JOD 1.29

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 JOD 0.59

$1.61 ₡724

-47.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 JOD 0.63

$3.80 ₡1,703

-76.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 JOD 0.58

$3.69 ₡1,657

-77.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 JOD 0.43

$1.13 ₡507

-46.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 JOD 0.50

$2.66 ₡1,191

-73.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 JOD 2.80

$5.18 ₡2,321

-23.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.09 JOD 14.93

$19.88 ₡8,916

6.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.92 JOD 3.48

$2.90 ₡1,300

69.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 JOD 3.58

$3.63 ₡1,626

39.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$2.14 ₡958

-71.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 JOD 1.01

$1.57 ₡703

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 JOD 4.87

$8.52 ₡3,823

-19.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 JOD 1.25

$1.52 ₡682

16.45%

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

$35.9K JOD 25.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.99%

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

$34.1K JOD 24.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-1.29%

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

$127 JOD 90.0

$96.3 ₡43.2K

32.08%

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

$15.81 JOD 11.19

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.53 JOD 22.32

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 JOD 7.99

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.09%

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

$490 JOD 347

$494 ₡221.6K

-0.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,885 JOD 6,998

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-16.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 JOD 45.09

$53.9 ₡24.2K

18.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.7 JOD 58.6

$55.4 ₡24.8K

49.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 JOD 88.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

61.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 JOD 61.8

$79.6 ₡35.7K

9.72%

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)

$1,048 JOD 742

$864 ₡387.3K

21.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.62

-21.00%

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

Last update for Al Mafraq: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Mafraq

$264 31.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 33.4% $88

Eating Out

Al Mafraq

$200 24.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Mafraq

$175 21%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 6.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Al Mafraq

$162 19.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Al Mafraq

$23 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 287% $65

Getting Around

Al Mafraq

$7.7 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1031% $79

Accommodation & Living

Al Mafraq

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 21% higher in Al Mafraq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Al Mafraq versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Al Mafraq vs $352 in Nosara – so Al Mafraq wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Al Mafraq

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

9 h behind Al Mafraq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Mafraq Nosara 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Mafraq
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

Al Mafraq vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,246 per month in Al Mafraq and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Al Mafraq and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Mafraq, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al Mafraq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mafraq – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Al Mafraq. 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.