Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Mahwit and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mahwit: $761 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Al Mahwit
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Al Mahwit Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Al Mahwit

🇾🇪 Yemen

$761

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $761 per month in Al Mahwit vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mahwit $761
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Al Mahwit vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mahwit $1,197
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,634 per month in Al Mahwit vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mahwit $1,634
Nosara $3,712

Al Mahwit is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al Mahwit sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 YER 1,469

$12.22 ₡5,509

-49.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.53 YER 6,022

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-57.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 YER 2,233

$7.54 ₡3,399

25.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 YER 459

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 609

Cappuccino

$3.64 YER 859

$4.31 ₡1,941

-15.55%

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

$1.17 YER 275

$1.72 ₡773

-31.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 YER 130

$1.35 ₡608

-59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 YER 488

$1.57 ₡707

31.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 YER 384

$3.17 ₡1,429

-48.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 YER 466

$2.42 ₡1,091

-18.18%

Eggs

$3.58 YER 845

$3.57 ₡1,609

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.97 YER 4,003

$7.43 ₡3,349

128.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 YER 1,927

$10.42 ₡4,697

-21.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.64 YER 4,396

$13.66 ₡6,156

36.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 YER 782

$2.32 ₡1,044

42.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 248

$1.61 ₡728

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 YER 512

$4.74 ₡2,138

-54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 YER 394

$1.66 ₡747

0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 YER 346

$3.72 ₡1,679

-60.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 YER 323

$3.57 ₡1,611

-61.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 YER 298

$1.10 ₡497

14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 YER 162

$2.55 ₡1,149

-73.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 585

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 440

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 YER 590

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 YER 1,316

$4.95 ₡2,232

12.73%

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)

$4.19 YER 989

$2.24 ₡1,011

87.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 YER 508

$1.55 ₡701

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 YER 1,696

$8.86 ₡3,993

-18.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 YER 505

$1.57 ₡708

36.31%

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

$17.2K YER 4.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-21.12%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-0.53%

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

$108 YER 25.4K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

15.13%

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

$23.33 YER 5,503

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-33.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 YER 24.3K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

99.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 YER 1,359

$7.84 ₡3,535

-26.53%

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

$115 YER 27.1K

$490 ₡220.7K

-76.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,173 YER 512.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-81.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.19 YER 9,951

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-21.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 YER 28.6K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

117.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.73 YER 11.5K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-38.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.93 YER 9,656

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

8.62

30.51%

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

Last update for Al Mahwit: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Mahwit

$267 34.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 30.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Mahwit

$234 30.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 23% $54

Eating Out

Al Mahwit

$129 16.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 62.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Al Mahwit

$114 14.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 5.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Al Mahwit

$15 * 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 481% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Al Mahwit

$12 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 656% $76

Accommodation & Living

Al Mahwit

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Al Mahwit versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $350 – making Al Mahwit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Al Mahwit

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

19:40 7:40 PM

9 h behind Al Mahwit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,817

4,912

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al Mahwit Nosara 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,142 per month in Al Mahwit and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $761 in Al Mahwit and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 141%.

Kindergarten costs $115 per month in Al Mahwit and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Mahwit, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Al Mahwit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mahwit – 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 Mahwit. 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.