Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al-Buraimi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Buraimi: $916 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Al-Buraimi
🇴🇲 Oman
$916
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $916 in Al-Buraimi.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Al-Buraimi $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,357 in Al-Buraimi.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Al-Buraimi $1,357

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,797 in Al-Buraimi.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Al-Buraimi $1,797

Living in Nosara is roughly 101% more expensive than in Al-Buraimi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Al-Buraimi is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$5.27 OMR 2.03
134.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$13.14 OMR 5.06
365.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$7.82 OMR 3.01
-3.84%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$5.02 OMR 1.93
-12.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$0.91 OMR 0.35
91.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.27 OMR 0.10
385.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$12.89 OMR 4.96
-74.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$13.20 OMR 5.08
-66.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$2.26 OMR 0.87
-30.97%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.20 OMR 0.46
151.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.58 OMR 0.61
58.86%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.99 OMR 1.15
19.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$6.33 OMR 2.44
17.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$5.79 OMR 2.23
81.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$9.31 OMR 3.58
50.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.07 OMR 0.80
13.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.83 OMR 0.70
-12.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.06 OMR 0.79
133.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$1.32 OMR 0.51
21.97%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.20 OMR 0.46
216.67%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$0.98 OMR 0.38
276.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.91 OMR 0.35
24.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.70 OMR 0.27
280.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$5.23 OMR 2.01
-0.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$15.32 OMR 5.90
29.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$5.82 OMR 2.24
-50.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$10.15 OMR 3.91
-64.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$38.94 OMR 14.99
86.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.28 OMR 1.26
-34.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.33 OMR 0.51
18.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$7.57 OMR 2.92
12.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$0.60 OMR 0.23
153.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$25.2K OMR 9,711
-14.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$22.7K OMR 8,734
52.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$77.5 OMR 29.84
24.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$30.24 OMR 11.64
18.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$70.7 OMR 27.23
-24.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$63.9 OMR 24.62
11.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$7.67 OMR 2.95
2.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$260 OMR 100
90.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$10.5K OMR 4,036
13.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$56.8 OMR 21.86
-5.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$43.55 OMR 16.77
27.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$90.9 OMR 35.01
-14.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$88.7 OMR 34.13
-10.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Al-Buraimi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$3,620 OMR 1,394
-76.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
5.25
64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-Buraimi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Al-Buraimi
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Al-Buraimi
$262 25.5% $90
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Al-Buraimi
$221 4.5% $9.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Al-Buraimi
$178 3.9% $7.3
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Al-Buraimi
$126 4.9% $5.9
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Al-Buraimi
$79 9.3% $8.1
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Al-Buraimi
$49 * 43.9% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

Al-Buraimi pays 319% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $13.00 in Al-Buraimi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $262 per month, with Al-Buraimi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇴🇲 Al-Buraimi
🕒 Local time
11:36 11:36 AM
21:36 9:36 PM
10 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
73,670
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Al-Buraimi 14,360 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Al-Buraimi

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-Buraimi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Al-Buraimi cheaper than Nosara?
Al-Buraimi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Nosara or Al-Buraimi?
On paper, salaries run 319% lower in Al-Buraimi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Al-Buraimi runs roughly 87% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $260 in Al-Buraimi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Al-Buraimi?
At $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Buraimi but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Buraimi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Nosara or Al-Buraimi more family-friendly?
For families, Al-Buraimi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Al-Buraimi?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Al-Buraimi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Al-Buraimi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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