Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-qardahah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Al-qardahah vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Al-qardahah $638
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,011 per month in Al-qardahah vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,011
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,383 per month in Al-qardahah vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,383
Nosara $3,818

Al-qardahah is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al-qardahah sits 53% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.83 SYP 1,194

$12.35 ₡5,539

-20.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.10 SYP 5,117

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-31.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 SYP 855

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.52%

Cappuccino

$3.67 SYP 446

$4.41 ₡1,978

-16.78%

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

$2.27 SYP 276

$1.74 ₡780

30.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 SYP 105

$1.31 ₡587

-34.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

$3.28 ₡1,471

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 SYP 484

$4.47 ₡2,004

-10.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 SYP 133

$1.56 ₡701

-29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.5

$3.02 ₡1,355

-86.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 SYP 192

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.05%

Eggs

$1.60 SYP 195

$3.57 ₡1,603

-55.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.89 SYP 472

$7.43 ₡3,333

-47.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 SYP 676

$10.52 ₡4,717

-47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.73 SYP 1,668

$13.97 ₡6,265

-1.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 SYP 124

$2.35 ₡1,052

-56.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 SYP 171

$1.61 ₡720

-12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 125

$1.61 ₡724

-36.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 91.9

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 92.1

$3.69 ₡1,657

-79.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 SYP 53.5

$1.13 ₡507

-61.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.9

$2.66 ₡1,191

-76.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 SYP 346

$5.18 ₡2,321

-44.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 SYP 706

$19.88 ₡8,916

-70.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 SYP 128

$2.90 ₡1,300

-63.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 SYP 355

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 SYP 120

$2.14 ₡958

-54.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 SYP 190

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 SYP 911

$8.52 ₡3,823

-12.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.72 SYP 452

$1.52 ₡682

144.74%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-30.24%

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

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.98%

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

$137 SYP 16.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

42.54%

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

$9.89 SYP 1,202

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.78 SYP 5,564

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-14.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 SYP 683

$7.89 ₡3,539

-28.77%

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

$66.2 SYP 8,040

$494 ₡221.6K

-86.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-84.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.05 SYP 3,531

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-46.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.40 SYP 4,788

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-28.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 SYP 7,164

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-24.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 SYP 7,030

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-27.33%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

8.62

65.31%

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

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.7% $7.2

Eating Out

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21.4% $37

Groceries & Markets

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 110% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 44.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 677% $76

Getting Around

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 889% $78

Accommodation & Living

Al-qardahah

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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 $42.00 in Al-qardahah versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $352 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

9 h behind Al-qardahah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 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 SYP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-qardahah Nosara 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 188%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $958 per month in Al-qardahah 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 $42.00 in Al-qardahah 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 110% 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-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-qardahah – 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-qardahah. 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.