Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kayfan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kayfan: $1,345 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Kayfan
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,345
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,345 per month in Kayfan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kayfan $1,345
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,358 per month in Kayfan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kayfan $2,358
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,370 per month in Kayfan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kayfan $3,370
  • Nosara $3,818

Kayfan is about 27% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kayfan and Nosara sit above the global median – Kayfan by 0%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.09 KWD 4.03
$12.35 ₡5,539
5.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.0 KWD 19.39
$61.2 ₡27.4K
2.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.95 KWD 2.76
$7.52 ₡3,373
19.02%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 KWD 1.01
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.79 KWD 1.48
-
-
Cappuccino
$5.33 KWD 1.64
$4.41 ₡1,978
20.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 KWD 0.23
$1.74 ₡780
-58.05%
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
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 KWD 0.50
$1.56 ₡701
4.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 KWD 0.47
$3.02 ₡1,355
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 KWD 0.61
$2.51 ₡1,125
-21.51%
Eggs
$2.10 KWD 0.65
$3.57 ₡1,603
-41.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.31 KWD 1.33
$7.43 ₡3,333
-41.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.81 KWD 2.10
$10.52 ₡4,717
-35.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.09 KWD 3.11
$13.97 ₡6,265
-27.77%
Apples (1kg)
$2.47 KWD 0.76
$2.35 ₡1,052
5.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 KWD 0.59
$1.61 ₡720
18.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 KWD 0.56
$4.80 ₡2,152
-61.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 KWD 0.47
$1.61 ₡724
-4.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.33 KWD 0.41
$3.80 ₡1,703
-65.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 KWD 0.44
$3.69 ₡1,657
-61.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 KWD 0.69
$1.13 ₡507
98.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 KWD 0.18
$2.66 ₡1,191
-78.20%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$3.25 KWD 1.00
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 KWD 0.33
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 KWD 0.42
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.67 KWD 0.82
$5.18 ₡2,321
-48.46%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 KWD 0.28
$1.12 ₡504
-20.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.84 KWD 1.49
$2.14 ₡958
126.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 KWD 0.96
$1.57 ₡703
99.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.76 KWD 4.86
$8.52 ₡3,823
84.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.33 KWD 0.10
$1.52 ₡682
-78.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K KWD 6,472
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-2.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K KWD 6,308
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-40.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$66.2 KWD 20.40
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-31.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.46 KWD 6.92
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-37.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.00 KWD 9.24
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-44.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$84.1 KWD 25.91
$71.6 ₡32.1K
17.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.31 KWD 3.49
$7.89 ₡3,539
43.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$294 KWD 90.5
$494 ₡221.6K
-40.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,326 KWD 2,873
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-21.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.63 KWD 11.59
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-30.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.55 KWD 12.18
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-28.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 KWD 30.34
$77.9 ₡34.9K
26.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.1 KWD 27.45
$79.6 ₡35.7K
11.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$879 KWD 271
$788 ₡353.4K
11.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$591 KWD 182
$794 ₡356.2K
-25.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,932 KWD 595
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-50.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,519 KWD 468
$1,419 ₡636.5K
7.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kayfan
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,046 KWD 1,247
$864 ₡387.3K
368.53%
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 Kayfan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kayfan
$591
Nosara
$794 34.4% $203
Eating Out
Kayfan
$200
Nosara
$212 6.1% $12
Groceries & Markets
Kayfan
$186
Nosara
$352 89% $166
Clothing & Footwear
Kayfan
$119
Nosara
$120 0.8% $1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kayfan
$119
Nosara
$186 56.5% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Kayfan
$107
Nosara
$87 18.1% $19
Getting Around
Kayfan
$24 *
Nosara
$87 262% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $879 in Kayfan 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.

Salaries run about 369% higher in Kayfan, 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 $63.0 in Kayfan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Kayfan vs $352 in Nosara – so Kayfan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇼 Kayfan
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
22:55 10:55 PM
13:55 1:55 PM
9 h behind Kayfan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kayfan Nosara 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kayfan
  • 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
Kayfan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kayfan or Nosara?
Nosara costs about 37% more than Kayfan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kayfan and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,018 per month in Kayfan and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kayfan or Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kayfan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Kayfan compared to Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,345 in Kayfan and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 37%.
How do childcare costs compare in Kayfan and in Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Kayfan and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Kayfan or in Nosara?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kayfan, where all-in costs run around $1,345, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kayfan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kayfan or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kayfan costs $1,345 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Kayfan compared to Nosara?
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.
Should I move to Kayfan or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Kayfan. 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.

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