Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,081 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah.

Nosara $1,839
Al-hawiyah $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,603 in Al-hawiyah.

Nosara $2,828
Al-hawiyah $1,603

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,125 in Al-hawiyah.

Nosara $3,818
Al-hawiyah $2,125

Living in Nosara is roughly 70% more expensive than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Al-hawiyah is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.44 SAR 16.67

178.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$26.52 SAR 99.5

130.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.91 SAR 25.93

8.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.63 SAR 9.88

67.68%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.70 SAR 2.63

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.25 SAR 0.94

424.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-14.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.96 SAR 3.60

214.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.20 SAR 8.25

14.09%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.68 SAR 10.04

33.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.85 SAR 21.94

27.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.70 SAR 43.90

-10.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.12 SAR 49.22

6.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.04 SAR 7.64

15.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.58 SAR 5.92

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.83 SAR 6.88

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.49 SAR 5.60

8.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.30 SAR 4.87

192.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.50 SAR 5.63

146.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.09 SAR 4.09

3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.74 SAR 2.77

259.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$8.00 SAR 30.02

-35.25%

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

$1.10 SAR 4.13

1.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$36.82 SAR 138

97.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.44 SAR 9.15

-12.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.69 SAR 10.10

-41.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.24 SAR 49.67

-35.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.59 SAR 2.23

157.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$43.9K SAR 164.7K

-50.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.5K SAR 80.8K

60.26%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$67.1 SAR 252

43.52%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$35.32 SAR 133

1.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$62.5 SAR 235

-14.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$80.6 SAR 302

-11.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$15.09 SAR 56.6

-47.71%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$423 SAR 1,586

16.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,864 SAR 29.5K

50.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$13.09 SAR 49.11

312.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$55.8 SAR 209

-0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$40.45 SAR 152

92.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$52.5 SAR 197

51.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$576 SAR 2,162

36.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$366 SAR 1,375

116.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$826 SAR 3,098

377.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$577 SAR 2,166

145.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,404 SAR 9,023

187.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,375 SAR 5,158

-10.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al-hawiyah

$366 33.9% 53.9% $428

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al-hawiyah

$217 20.1% 38.3% $135

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al-hawiyah

$92 8.5% 56.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al-hawiyah

$165 15.3% 11.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al-hawiyah

$73 6.7% 39.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al-hawiyah

$111 10.2% 26.7% $23

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.3% 34.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $27.00 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $217 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

05:54 5:54 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

148,151

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Nosara
Al-hawiyah

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-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Al-hawiyah differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,081 including rent). Al-hawiyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,621 in Al-hawiyah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-hawiyah but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Al-hawiyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Al-hawiyah 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 Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.