Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Arar vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Arar $1,185
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,758 per month in Arar vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Arar $1,758
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Arar vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Arar $2,330
Nosara $3,818

Arar is about 36% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arar sits 12% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 SAR 23.25

$12.35 ₡5,539

-49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.34 SAR 140

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-38.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.18

$7.52 ₡3,373

3.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SAR 8.72

Cappuccino

$3.16 SAR 11.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

-28.34%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$1.74 ₡780

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$1.31 ₡587

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.33

$1.56 ₡701

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.92

$3.02 ₡1,355

-56.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

-10.76%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$3.57 ₡1,603

-31.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.61 SAR 28.54

$7.43 ₡3,333

2.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 SAR 29.91

$10.52 ₡4,717

-24.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 SAR 48.62

$13.97 ₡6,265

-7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.46

$2.35 ₡1,052

-4.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$1.61 ₡720

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$4.80 ₡2,152

-66.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

$1.61 ₡724

1.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.62

$3.80 ₡1,703

-67.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$3.69 ₡1,657

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.88 SAR 10.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.50 SAR 24.38

$5.18 ₡2,321

25.48%

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)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.12 ₡504

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.99 SAR 139

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-49.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 SAR 10.13

$2.14 ₡958

26.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$1.57 ₡703

17.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.26 SAR 49.76

$8.52 ₡3,823

55.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.52 ₡682

-57.89%

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

$43.8K SAR 164.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

102.92%

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

$21.3K SAR 80.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-38.16%

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

$102 SAR 384

$96.3 ₡43.2K

6.14%

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

$32.69 SAR 123

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 SAR 253

$53.6 ₡24.0K

25.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 SAR 307

$71.6 ₡32.1K

14.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 SAR 49.58

$7.89 ₡3,539

67.43%

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

$421 SAR 1,579

$494 ₡221.6K

-14.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,110 SAR 30.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.56 SAR 156

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-22.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$77.9 ₡34.9K

23.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 SAR 324

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 SAR 2,202

$788 ₡353.4K

-25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 SAR 1,416

$794 ₡356.2K

-52.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,100

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 SAR 2,155

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-59.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,369 SAR 8,891

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-65.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,355 SAR 5,084

$1,224 ₡549.0K

10.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Arar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arar

$377 31.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 111% $417

Groceries & Markets

Arar

$204 17.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 72.8% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arar

$202 17.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Arar

$125 10.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 4% $5

Eating Out

Arar

$115 9.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 83.6% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Arar

$108 9.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 19.2% $21

Getting Around

Arar

$53 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 64% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $587 in Arar 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Arar versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $352 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Arar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

9 h behind Arar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,057

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

Arar Nosara 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Arar
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

Arar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Arar, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Arar 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 Arar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 96% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $421 per month in Arar and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arar, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Arar 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 $1,185 in Arar 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 Arar. 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.