Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Mubarraz and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mubarraz: $1,270 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Al Mubarraz
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Al Mubarraz Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Al Mubarraz

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Al Mubarraz vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mubarraz $1,270
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Al Mubarraz vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mubarraz $1,895
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,520 per month in Al Mubarraz vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Al Mubarraz $2,520
Nosara $3,818

Al Mubarraz is about 31% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al Mubarraz sits 6% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 SAR 27.37

$12.35 ₡5,539

-40.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.10 SAR 139

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-39.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 SAR 29.39

$7.52 ₡3,373

4.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 SAR 7.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cappuccino

$4.27 SAR 16.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

-3.17%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.64

$1.74 ₡780

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$1.31 ₡587

-78.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$1.56 ₡701

13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 SAR 4.71

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 SAR 9.20

$2.51 ₡1,125

-2.39%

Eggs

$3.12 SAR 11.69

$3.57 ₡1,603

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 SAR 39.51

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 SAR 36.40

$10.52 ₡4,717

-7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 SAR 55.6

$13.97 ₡6,265

6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.97

$2.35 ₡1,052

24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$1.61 ₡720

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 SAR 9.19

$4.80 ₡2,152

-48.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 SAR 6.46

$1.61 ₡724

6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.41

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.77

$3.69 ₡1,657

-65.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.13 ₡507

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.73

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SAR 8.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.56 SAR 28.35

$5.18 ₡2,321

45.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.10

$1.12 ₡504

-2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.60 SAR 137

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-49.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 SAR 12.29

$2.14 ₡958

53.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 SAR 6.98

$1.57 ₡703

18.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$8.52 ₡3,823

53.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.52 ₡682

-57.89%

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

$35.3K SAR 132.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

63.41%

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

$22.9K SAR 85.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.68%

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

$109 SAR 410

$96.3 ₡43.2K

13.43%

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

$30.08 SAR 113

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-16.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 SAR 274

$53.6 ₡24.0K

36.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 SAR 310

$71.6 ₡32.1K

15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 SAR 50.7

$7.89 ₡3,539

71.36%

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

$542 SAR 2,032

$494 ₡221.6K

9.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-14.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 SAR 220

$53.9 ₡24.2K

8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 SAR 204

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 392

$77.9 ₡34.9K

34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 SAR 2,178

$788 ₡353.4K

-26.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 SAR 1,391

$794 ₡356.2K

-53.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SAR 3,115

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-78.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 SAR 2,143

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-59.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 SAR 8,998

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-65.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 SAR 5,109

$1,224 ₡549.0K

11.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,089 SAR 4,086

$864 ₡387.3K

26.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

8.62

-35.73%

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

Last update for Al Mubarraz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Mubarraz

$371 29.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 114% $424

Groceries & Markets

Al Mubarraz

$242 19.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 45.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Mubarraz

$212 16.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Al Mubarraz

$145 11.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.2% $25

Eating Out

Al Mubarraz

$137 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 54.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Al Mubarraz

$110 8.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.2% $22

Getting Around

Al Mubarraz

$54 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 62.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $580 in Al Mubarraz 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 26% higher in Al Mubarraz, 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 $37.00 in Al Mubarraz versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $352 – making Al Mubarraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Mubarraz

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

9 h behind Al Mubarraz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,802

4,912

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Mubarraz Nosara 13,770 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Al Mubarraz, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,905 per month in Al Mubarraz 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 Al Mubarraz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $542 per month in Al Mubarraz and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Mubarraz, where all-in costs run around $1,270, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al Mubarraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,270 in Al Mubarraz to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Al Mubarraz. 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.