Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al-'amarah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-'amarah: $662 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $662 in Al-'amarah, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Al-'amarah $662

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,031 in Al-'amarah, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Al-'amarah $1,031

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,400 in Al-'amarah, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Al-'amarah $1,400

Nosara costs about 178% more than Al-'amarah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Al-'amarah is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.93 IQD 5,936

214.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$21.93 IQD 33.1K

178.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.22 IQD 9,391

20.90%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.08 IQD 3,146

112.02%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.33 IQD 502

427.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.20 IQD 304

555.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.22 IQD 4,863

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.90 IQD 4,384

54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.99 IQD 1,501

57.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.67 IQD 1,006

350.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.36 IQD 2,061

84.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.57 IQD 2,368

127.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.72 IQD 5,616

99.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.21 IQD 6,361

149.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.50 IQD 17.4K

21.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$0.93 IQD 1,405

152.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.93 IQD 1,411

73.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.90 IQD 1,362

433.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.61 IQD 921

163.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.56 IQD 846

578.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.61 IQD 924

504.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.52 IQD 782

117.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 IQD 770

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.83 IQD 2,765

183.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.08 IQD 18.3K

64.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.60 IQD 2,412

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.78 IQD 2,683

103.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.45 IQD 680

148.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$19.17 IQD 29.0K

278.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.81 IQD 2,734

18.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.13 IQD 1,712

38.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.76 IQD 8,707

47.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.54 IQD 813

181.48%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

31.47%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.1K IQD 22.8M

128.40%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$96.2 IQD 145.4K

0.08%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$13.00 IQD 19.7K

176.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

123.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.10 IQD 56.1K

92.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.87 IQD 13.4K

-11.05%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$153 IQD 231.6K

222.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,868 IQD 4.3M

313.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

135.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

159.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$51.9 IQD 78.4K

50.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$34.23 IQD 51.7K

132.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$178 IQD 268.4K

343.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$129 IQD 195.4K

514.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$371 IQD 561.0K

960.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$298 IQD 449.9K

376.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$717 IQD 1.1M

863.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$573 IQD 865.9K

113.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$435 IQD 657.8K

98.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.33

158.86%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al-'amarah

$129 19.5% 83.7% $665

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al-'amarah

$159 24% 54.9% $194

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al-'amarah

$99 15% 53.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al-'amarah

$133 20.1% 28.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al-'amarah

$59 8.9% 51.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.3% 37.2% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al-'amarah

$28 4.3% 67.4% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $178 in Al-'amarah. 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 98% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $22.00 in Al-'amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $159 – making Al-'amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

19:39 7:39 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

511,542

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Al-'amarah 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $993 in Al-'amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 122% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $22.00 in Al-'amarah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-'amarah, where all-in costs run around $662, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al-'amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-'amarah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Al-'amarah. 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.