Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusail and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusail: $749 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Lusail
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Lusail Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lusail

🇶🇦 Qatar

$749

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $749 per month in Lusail vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lusail $749
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,273 per month in Lusail vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lusail $1,273
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,797 per month in Lusail vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lusail $1,797
Nosara $3,818

Lusail is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lusail sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.35 QAR 30.39

$12.35 ₡5,539

-32.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 QAR 249

$61.2 ₡27.4K

11.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 QAR 29.33

$7.52 ₡3,373

7.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.99 QAR 29.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.33 QAR 33.97

Cappuccino

$5.51 QAR 20.04

$4.41 ₡1,978

24.94%

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

$0.85 QAR 3.08

$1.74 ₡780

-51.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 QAR 0.94

$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)

$2.15 QAR 7.81

$1.56 ₡701

37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 QAR 4.93

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 QAR 5.10

$2.51 ₡1,125

-44.22%

Eggs

$3.34 QAR 12.16

$3.57 ₡1,603

-6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 QAR 41.09

$7.43 ₡3,333

51.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 QAR 29.36

$10.52 ₡4,717

-23.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 QAR 41.05

$13.97 ₡6,265

-19.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 QAR 8.07

$2.35 ₡1,052

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 QAR 6.73

$1.61 ₡720

14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 QAR 5.69

$4.80 ₡2,152

-67.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 QAR 2.08

$1.61 ₡724

-64.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 QAR 2.06

$3.80 ₡1,703

-85.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 QAR 1.93

$3.69 ₡1,657

-85.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 QAR 5.04

$1.13 ₡507

23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 QAR 1.99

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.88 QAR 35.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 QAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 QAR 8.01

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.48 QAR 23.59

$5.18 ₡2,321

25.10%

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)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 QAR 7.19

$2.14 ₡958

-7.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 QAR 7.72

$1.57 ₡703

35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.46 QAR 48.99

$8.52 ₡3,823

57.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 QAR 1.97

$1.52 ₡682

-64.47%

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

$28.4K QAR 103.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

31.53%

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

$22.6K QAR 82.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.54%

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

$86.8 QAR 316

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-9.90%

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

$34.93 QAR 127

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.0 QAR 313

$53.6 ₡24.0K

60.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 QAR 44.64

$7.89 ₡3,539

55.39%

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

$682 QAR 2,484

$494 ₡221.6K

38.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,690 QAR 35.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-18.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 QAR 224

$53.9 ₡24.2K

13.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 QAR 194

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-3.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 QAR 358

$77.9 ₡34.9K

26.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 QAR 313

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.01%

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)

$1,393 QAR 5,071

$864 ₡387.3K

61.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

8.62

-31.32%

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

Last update for Lusail: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusail

$208 27.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 69.2% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusail

$208 27.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 10.6% $22

Eating Out

Lusail

$161 21.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 31.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Lusail

$135 18%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lusail

$25 * 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 256% $63

Getting Around

Lusail

$13 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 593% $75

Accommodation & Living

Lusail

- * 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 61% higher in Lusail, 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 $69.0 in Lusail versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $208 in Lusail vs $352 in Nosara – so Lusail wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Lusail

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

17:39 5:39 PM

9 h behind Lusail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,600

4,912

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 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 QAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lusail Nosara 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusail
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

Lusail vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $749 in Lusail, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 145% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,124 per month in Lusail and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Lusail and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lusail, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lusail 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 $749 in Lusail 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 Lusail. 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.