Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Wafrah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Wafrah: $1,286 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Al Wafrah
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Al Wafrah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Al Wafrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,286

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,286 in Al Wafrah versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Al Wafrah $1,286
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,142 in Al Wafrah versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Al Wafrah $2,142
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,997 in Al Wafrah versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Al Wafrah $2,997
Nosara $3,818

Living in Al Wafrah costs roughly 30% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Wafrah is 5% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 KWD 2.45

$12.35 ₡5,539

-35.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.5 KWD 16.16

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 KWD 2.19

$7.52 ₡3,373

-5.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 KWD 1.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 KWD 1.12

Cappuccino

$4.42 KWD 1.36

$4.41 ₡1,978

0.23%

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

$0.53 KWD 0.16

$1.74 ₡780

-69.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$1.31 ₡587

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 KWD 0.45

$1.56 ₡701

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 KWD 0.23

$3.02 ₡1,355

-74.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 KWD 0.66

$2.51 ₡1,125

-14.34%

Eggs

$2.00 KWD 0.61

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.72 KWD 1.15

$7.43 ₡3,333

-49.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 KWD 1.58

$10.52 ₡4,717

-51.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.79 KWD 2.71

$13.97 ₡6,265

-37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 KWD 0.77

$2.35 ₡1,052

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 KWD 0.64

$1.61 ₡720

29.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 KWD 0.39

$4.80 ₡2,152

-73.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 KWD 0.47

$1.61 ₡724

-5.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 KWD 0.38

$3.80 ₡1,703

-67.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 KWD 0.25

$3.69 ₡1,657

-77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 KWD 0.51

$1.13 ₡507

46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 KWD 0.13

$2.66 ₡1,191

-84.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.57 KWD 1.10

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 KWD 0.29

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 KWD 0.41

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 KWD 0.88

$5.18 ₡2,321

-44.98%

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)

$0.80 KWD 0.25

$1.12 ₡504

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 KWD 0.94

$2.14 ₡958

42.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 KWD 1.12

$1.57 ₡703

132.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.53 KWD 4.78

$8.52 ₡3,823

82.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$1.52 ₡682

-76.97%

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

$20.5K KWD 6,321

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-5.06%

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

$19.8K KWD 6,115

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.50%

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

$73.1 KWD 22.52

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-24.09%

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

$22.26 KWD 6.86

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.37 KWD 7.82

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-52.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.9 KWD 30.48

$71.6 ₡32.1K

38.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.75 KWD 3.31

$7.89 ₡3,539

36.25%

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

$289 KWD 89.0

$494 ₡221.6K

-41.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 KWD 2,061

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-43.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.09 KWD 10.50

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-36.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.47 KWD 12.47

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 KWD 29.25

$77.9 ₡34.9K

21.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 KWD 29.09

$79.6 ₡35.7K

18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 KWD 216

$788 ₡353.4K

-11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 KWD 186

$794 ₡356.2K

-24.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 KWD 560

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-53.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 KWD 421

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-3.80%

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)

$4,271 KWD 1,316

$864 ₡387.3K

394.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

8.62

-24.25%

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

Last update for Al Wafrah: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Wafrah

$604 46.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 31.6% $191

Groceries & Markets

Al Wafrah

$157 12.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 125% $196

Eating Out

Al Wafrah

$141 11%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 50% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Wafrah

$121 9.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 53.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Al Wafrah

$120 9.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Al Wafrah

$119 9.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.1% $1.3

Getting Around

Al Wafrah

$25 * 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 256% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $700 in Al Wafrah and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Wafrah pays 395% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Al Wafrah vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $157 vs $352 per month, with Al Wafrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Al Wafrah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

05:33 5:33 AM

9 h behind Al Wafrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,017

4,912

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 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 KWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Wafrah Nosara 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Al Wafrah and Nosara differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,286 vs $1,839 including rent). Al Wafrah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 395% higher in Al Wafrah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $700 in Al Wafrah versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $289 in Al Wafrah versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Wafrah – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,286 in Al Wafrah versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al Wafrah but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Al Wafrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Al Wafrah and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al Wafrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.