Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,360

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,360 per month in Jeddah vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Jeddah $1,360
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,168 per month in Jeddah vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Jeddah $2,168
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,975 per month in Jeddah vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Jeddah $2,975
Nosara $3,712

Jeddah is about 26% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jeddah and Nosara sit above the global median – Jeddah by 2%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.68

$12.22 ₡5,509

-50.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 SAR 300

$60.2 ₡27.1K

32.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 SAR 32.85

$7.54 ₡3,399

16.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$3.77 SAR 14.16

$4.31 ₡1,941

-12.53%

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

$0.97 SAR 3.65

$1.72 ₡773

-43.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.90

$1.35 ₡608

-82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.57 ₡707

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$3.17 ₡1,429

-58.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$2.42 ₡1,091

-2.07%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.31

$3.57 ₡1,609

-30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.89

$7.43 ₡3,349

-14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$10.42 ₡4,697

-23.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.31 SAR 49.98

$13.66 ₡6,156

-2.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.90

$2.32 ₡1,044

-9.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.61 ₡728

9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 SAR 5.80

$4.74 ₡2,138

-67.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.66 ₡747

1.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.26

$3.72 ₡1,679

-69.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$3.57 ₡1,611

-63.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.10 ₡497

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.87

$2.55 ₡1,149

-80.39%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.23 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 SAR 25.77

$4.95 ₡2,232

38.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 SAR 3.35

$1.19 ₡537

-25.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 SAR 208

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-23.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$2.24 ₡1,011

38.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$1.55 ₡701

14.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.12 SAR 53.0

$8.86 ₡3,993

59.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.21

$1.57 ₡708

-62.42%

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

$47.7K SAR 179.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

118.61%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-38.16%

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

$90.3 SAR 339

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-3.35%

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

$39.04 SAR 147

$35.11 ₡15.8K

11.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 SAR 255

$51.5 ₡23.2K

31.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 SAR 299

$71.4 ₡32.2K

11.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.23 SAR 144

$35.44 ₡16.0K

7.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 SAR 45.22

$7.84 ₡3,535

53.57%

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

$757 SAR 2,841

$490 ₡220.7K

54.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K SAR 61.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

36.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.8 SAR 277

$53.5 ₡24.1K

37.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$55.8 ₡25.1K

0.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 380

$79.3 ₡35.7K

27.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 SAR 354

$78.9 ₡35.6K

19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 SAR 2,966

$786 ₡354.3K

0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,009

$780 ₡351.6K

-31.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SAR 5,323

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-63.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 SAR 3,070

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-41.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,777 SAR 6,673

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-74.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,291

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-4.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,646 SAR 6,180

$876 ₡395.0K

87.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.62

-37.47%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$535 38.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 45.8% $245

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 74.2% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 8.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$146 10.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.8% $26

Eating Out

Jeddah

$125 9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 68% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$104 7.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16% $17

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $790 in Jeddah versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 88% higher in Jeddah, 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 $80.0 in Jeddah versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $350 in Nosara – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

9 h behind Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

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 = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jeddah Nosara 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

Jeddah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,360 in Jeddah, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,040 per month in Jeddah and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeddah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Jeddah and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,360 in Jeddah and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jeddah, where all-in costs run around $1,360, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Jeddah 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 $1,360 in Jeddah to $1,837 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 Jeddah. 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.