Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al Mafraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mafraq: $831 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Al Mafraq
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Al Mafraq Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al Mafraq

🇯🇴 Jordan

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $831 in Al Mafraq, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Al Mafraq $831

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,376 in Al Mafraq, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Al Mafraq $1,376

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,922 in Al Mafraq, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Al Mafraq $1,922

Nosara costs about 121% more than Al Mafraq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Al Mafraq is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.25 JOD 5.13

70.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$69.9 JOD 49.47

-12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.00 JOD 4.96

7.43%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.41 JOD 3.12

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.65 JOD 0.46

167.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.56 JOD 0.40

133.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.29 JOD 5.87

-60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$10.85 JOD 7.68

-58.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.44 JOD 1.02

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.71 JOD 0.50

325.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.52 JOD 1.08

65.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.36 JOD 1.67

51.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.52 JOD 6.74

-21.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.40 JOD 4.53

64.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.44 JOD 8.81

12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.64 JOD 1.87

-10.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.08 JOD 1.47

-22.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.83 JOD 1.29

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.84 JOD 0.59

91.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.88 JOD 0.63

331.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.83 JOD 0.58

344.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.61 JOD 0.43

85.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.70 JOD 0.50

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.96 JOD 2.80

30.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$21.09 JOD 14.93

-5.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.92 JOD 3.48

-41.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$5.06 JOD 3.58

-28.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.60 JOD 0.42

256.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.42 JOD 1.01

10.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.88 JOD 4.87

23.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.77 JOD 1.25

-14.12%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.9K JOD 25.4K

-39.76%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.1K JOD 24.1K

1.31%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$127 JOD 90.0

-24.29%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.81 JOD 11.19

127.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.53 JOD 22.32

69.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.29 JOD 7.99

-30.12%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$490 JOD 347

0.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,885 JOD 6,998

19.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$63.7 JOD 45.09

-15.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$82.7 JOD 58.6

-33.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$125 JOD 88.9

-37.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.4 JOD 61.8

-8.86%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,048 JOD 742

-17.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.81

26.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al Mafraq: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al Mafraq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al Mafraq

$264 31.8% 25% $88

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al Mafraq

$200 24.1% 5.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al Mafraq

$175 21% 6.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al Mafraq

$162 19.5% 34.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al Mafraq

$23 * 2.7% 74.2% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al Mafraq

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.2% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 21% higher in Al Mafraq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $70.0 in Al Mafraq. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $264 in Al Mafraq – so Al Mafraq wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇴 Al Mafraq

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

19:42 7:42 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

60,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Al Mafraq 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al Mafraq

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 Mafraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 121%, 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 $1,246 in Al Mafraq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $70.0 in Al Mafraq. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Mafraq, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al Mafraq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mafraq – 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 Mafraq. 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.