Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $711 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
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Al Kufah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Al Kufah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $711 in Al Kufah.

Nosara $1,839
Al Kufah $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,077 in Al Kufah.

Nosara $2,828
Al Kufah $1,077

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,443 in Al Kufah.

Nosara $3,818
Al Kufah $1,443

Living in Nosara is roughly 158% more expensive than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Al Kufah is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.34 IQD 6,560

184.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$29.40 IQD 44.4K

108.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

11.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.66 IQD 4,021

65.79%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.32 IQD 489

443.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.22 IQD 333

495.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.25 IQD 4,913

0.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.27 IQD 4,935

36.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.89 IQD 1,352

75.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.64 IQD 971

371.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.37 IQD 2,068

83.21%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.62 IQD 2,446

120.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$2.12 IQD 3,197

250.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.85 IQD 5,820

173.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.88 IQD 11.9K

77.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$0.64 IQD 965

267.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.90 IQD 1,359

78.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.61 IQD 918

686.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.48 IQD 727

235.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.46 IQD 697

726.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.32 IQD 488

1053.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.15 IQD 226

653.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.50 IQD 760

432.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.52 IQD 2,299

240.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.62 IQD 17.6K

71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.89 IQD 2,856

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.93 IQD 2,917

88.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.39 IQD 595

187.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$20.78 IQD 31.4K

249.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.92 IQD 2,903

11.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.30 IQD 1,964

20.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.55 IQD 9,893

30.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.51 IQD 777

198.04%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

29.52%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

107.09%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$193 IQD 291.7K

-50.12%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.75 IQD 26.8K

102.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$19.67 IQD 29.7K

172.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$14.79 IQD 22.3K

384.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.91 IQD 15.0K

-20.38%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$71.0 IQD 107.2K

596.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,184 IQD 3.3M

443.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$9.89 IQD 14.9K

445.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.39 IQD 42.9K

95.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$20.23 IQD 30.6K

285.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$35.29 IQD 53.3K

125.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$174 IQD 262.3K

353.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$126 IQD 190.8K

529.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$378 IQD 571.8K

940.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$309 IQD 466.7K

359.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,247 IQD 1.9M

454.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$577 IQD 872.5K

111.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$882 IQD 1.3M

-2.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.12

109.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al Kufah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al Kufah

$126 17.8% 84.1% $668

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al Kufah

$135 19% 61.6% $217

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al Kufah

$112 15.7% 47.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al Kufah

$230 32.4% 24.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al Kufah

$42 5.9% 64.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al Kufah

$35 4.9% 60.4% $53

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al Kufah

$31 4.3% 64.7% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $174 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 2% 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 $29.00 in Al Kufah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $135 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

230,000

💱 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 Kufah 12,950 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al Kufah

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 Kufah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 158% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Al Kufah. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $174 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Kufah – a meal for two runs $29.00 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 $711 in Al Kufah – a 158% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $711 in Al Kufah versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al Kufah but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kufah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al Kufah 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.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Al Kufah 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 Kufah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 158% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.