Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $958
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,438 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,438
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,918
Nosara $3,818

Ar-rustaq is about 48% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ar-rustaq sits 29% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 OMR 2.04

$12.35 ₡5,539

-57.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.09 OMR 15.05

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-36.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 OMR 3.08

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.52%

Cappuccino

$5.10 OMR 1.96

$4.41 ₡1,978

15.65%

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

$0.86 OMR 0.33

$1.74 ₡780

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$1.31 ₡587

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$3.28 ₡1,471

298.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.84 OMR 4.94

$4.47 ₡2,004

187.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 OMR 0.88

$1.56 ₡701

46.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 OMR 0.46

$3.02 ₡1,355

-60.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 OMR 0.71

$2.51 ₡1,125

-26.69%

Eggs

$3.06 OMR 1.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 OMR 2.89

$7.43 ₡3,333

1.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$10.52 ₡4,717

-32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 OMR 4.13

$13.97 ₡6,265

-23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 OMR 1.41

$2.35 ₡1,052

56.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 OMR 0.78

$1.61 ₡720

25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.61 ₡724

-18.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$3.80 ₡1,703

-69.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$3.69 ₡1,657

-65.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 OMR 0.71

$1.13 ₡507

62.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$2.66 ₡1,191

-73.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 OMR 2.53

$5.18 ₡2,321

27.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 OMR 5.99

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.81 OMR 2.24

$2.90 ₡1,300

100.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.12 OMR 3.89

$3.63 ₡1,626

178.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 OMR 1.22

$2.14 ₡958

48.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$1.57 ₡703

63.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 OMR 3.06

$8.52 ₡3,823

-6.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.52 ₡682

-58.55%

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

$25.8K OMR 9,938

$21.6K ₡9.7M

19.45%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,854

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.37%

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

$181 OMR 69.8

$96.3 ₡43.2K

88.33%

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

$28.68 OMR 11.04

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-20.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 OMR 27.10

$53.6 ₡24.0K

31.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 OMR 3.97

$7.89 ₡3,539

30.80%

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

$293 OMR 113

$494 ₡221.6K

-40.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K OMR 4,101

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 OMR 22.09

$53.9 ₡24.2K

6.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.10 OMR 16.59

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-22.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 OMR 34.20

$77.9 ₡34.9K

14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 OMR 33.39

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.93%

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)

$4,439 OMR 1,709

$864 ₡387.3K

414.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

8.62

-39.10%

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

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 33.8% $95

Eating Out

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rustaq

$124 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3.3% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 323% $67

Getting Around

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 445% $71

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rustaq

- * 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 414% higher in Ar-rustaq, 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 $39.00 in Ar-rustaq versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $352 – making Ar-rustaq the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

10 h behind Ar-rustaq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 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 OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ar-rustaq Nosara 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rustaq
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

Ar-rustaq vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Ar-rustaq and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Ar-rustaq and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 92%.

Kindergarten costs $293 per month in Ar-rustaq and $494 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 Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ar-rustaq – 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 Ar-rustaq. 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.