Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dibba Al-Fujairah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,039 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dibba Al-Fujairah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Dibba Al-Fujairah
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Dibba Al-Fujairah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dibba Al-Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,039

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,039 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Dibba Al-Fujairah $2,039
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,609 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Dibba Al-Fujairah $3,609
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,180 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Dibba Al-Fujairah $5,180
Nosara $3,818

Living in Dibba Al-Fujairah is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dibba Al-Fujairah 51% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.67 AED 24.51

$12.35 ₡5,539

-45.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 AED 305

$61.2 ₡27.4K

35.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 AED 29.53

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.91%

Cappuccino

$6.12 AED 22.47

$4.41 ₡1,978

38.78%

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

$0.79 AED 2.91

$1.74 ₡780

-54.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 AED 1.04

$1.31 ₡587

-78.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$3.28 ₡1,471

320.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.86 AED 50.9

$4.47 ₡2,004

210.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 AED 4.87

$1.56 ₡701

-14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 AED 4.07

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 AED 8.94

$2.51 ₡1,125

-3.19%

Eggs

$2.17 AED 7.97

$3.57 ₡1,603

-39.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 AED 46.14

$7.43 ₡3,333

69.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 AED 25.41

$10.52 ₡4,717

-34.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.90 AED 25.33

$13.97 ₡6,265

-50.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 AED 5.90

$2.35 ₡1,052

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 AED 5.07

$1.61 ₡720

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 AED 6.82

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 AED 5.05

$1.61 ₡724

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 AED 3.08

$3.80 ₡1,703

-77.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 AED 2.94

$3.69 ₡1,657

-78.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 AED 4.92

$1.13 ₡507

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 AED 2.03

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.60

$5.18 ₡2,321

13.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.39 AED 60.2

$19.88 ₡8,916

-17.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.49

$2.90 ₡1,300

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 AED 10.12

$3.63 ₡1,626

-23.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 AED 7.85

$1.12 ₡504

91.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.91 AED 125

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 AED 3.92

$2.14 ₡958

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 AED 2.64

$1.57 ₡703

-54.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 AED 29.63

$8.52 ₡3,823

-5.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 AED 2.56

$1.52 ₡682

-53.95%

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

$27.2K AED 99.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

25.73%

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

$21.9K AED 80.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-36.55%

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

$244 AED 895

$96.3 ₡43.2K

153.00%

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

$53.5 AED 197

$35.89 ₡16.1K

49.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.7 AED 300

$53.6 ₡24.0K

52.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 AED 213

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.77 AED 106

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-17.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.42 AED 60.3

$7.89 ₡3,539

108.11%

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

$843 AED 3,096

$494 ₡221.6K

70.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,741 AED 21.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-51.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 AED 247

$53.9 ₡24.2K

24.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 AED 211

$55.4 ₡24.8K

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 376

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 AED 359

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 AED 2,958

$788 ₡353.4K

2.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 AED 3,269

$794 ₡356.2K

12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 AED 6,707

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-53.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,705 AED 9,934

$1,419 ₡636.5K

90.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,956 AED 18.2K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-28.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,305 AED 8,465

$1,224 ₡549.0K

88.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

8.62

-47.33%

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

Last update for Dibba Al-Fujairah: 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

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$890 43.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 10.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$379 18.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 51% $193

Eating Out

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$252 12.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 15.9% $40

Groceries & Markets

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$234 11.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 50.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$146 7.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$91 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$47 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 84.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Dibba Al-Fujairah and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Dibba Al-Fujairah vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $352, with Dibba Al-Fujairah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dibba Al-Fujairah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

10 h behind Dibba Al-Fujairah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

4,912

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 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 AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dibba Al-Fujairah Nosara 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Dibba Al-Fujairah
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

Dibba Al-Fujairah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dibba Al-Fujairah and Nosara differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,039 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,058 in Dibba Al-Fujairah and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $806 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 114% less than in Dibba Al-Fujairah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,039 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Dibba Al-Fujairah. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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, Dibba Al-Fujairah 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Dibba Al-Fujairah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.