Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,180 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam.

Nosara $1,837
Ad Dammam $1,180

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,809 in Ad Dammam.

Nosara $2,775
Ad Dammam $1,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,437 in Ad Dammam.

Nosara $3,712
Ad Dammam $2,437

Living in Nosara is roughly 56% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Ad Dammam is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.04 SAR 26.45

73.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$34.90 SAR 131

72.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.69 SAR 25.12

12.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SAR 8.66

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.08 SAR 11.55

39.94%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.76 SAR 2.86

126.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.16 SAR 0.60

743.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.81 SAR 6.80

-13.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.33 SAR 5.01

138.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.96 SAR 7.36

23.47%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.17 SAR 8.16

64.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.29 SAR 27.38

1.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.10 SAR 30.40

28.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.71 SAR 47.73

7.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.21 SAR 8.30

4.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.67 SAR 6.27

-3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.60 SAR 5.99

196.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.63 SAR 6.10

1.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.13 SAR 4.24

229.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.21 SAR 4.54

195.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.58 SAR 2.17

339.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.04 SAR 15.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SAR 8.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$7.71 SAR 28.97

-35.80%

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)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.97 SAR 3.64

22.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$35.53 SAR 133

102.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.71 SAR 10.16

-17.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.73 SAR 10.27

-43.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$13.52 SAR 50.8

-34.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.63 SAR 2.38

149.21%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$67.2K SAR 252.4K

-67.56%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.3K SAR 80.1K

62.47%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$131 SAR 494

-28.90%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$32.52 SAR 122

7.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$63.8 SAR 240

-19.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$75.6 SAR 284

-5.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$27.99 SAR 105

26.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$13.59 SAR 51.0

-42.31%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$421 SAR 1,582

16.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

51.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$42.50 SAR 160

25.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$49.83 SAR 187

11.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$95.7 SAR 359

-17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$92.1 SAR 346

-14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$583 SAR 2,188

34.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$370 SAR 1,390

110.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,003 SAR 3,767

284.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$677 SAR 2,543

107.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,395 SAR 5,238

399.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$609 SAR 2,287

97.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,507 SAR 5,659

-41.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.9

46.10%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Ad Dammam

$370 30.8% 52.5% $410

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Ad Dammam

$202 16.8% 42.2% $148

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 44.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Ad Dammam

$228 19% 26.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.5% 4.7% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ad Dammam

$103 8.6% 18% $16

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ad Dammam

$56 4.6% 35.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $583 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $35.00 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $202 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

903,312

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

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 = 0.238 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ad Dammam 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ad Dammam

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

Nosara vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Ad Dammam. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $583 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 103% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,180 in Ad Dammam versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ad Dammam but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ad Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ad Dammam delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,180 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ad Dammam hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Ad Dammam 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 Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.