Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al Mahwit

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mahwit: $761 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Al Mahwit
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Al Mahwit Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Al Mahwit

🇾🇪 Yemen

$761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $761 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Al Mahwit $761

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,197 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Al Mahwit $1,197

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,634 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Al Mahwit $1,634

Nosara costs about 141% more than Al Mahwit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Al Mahwit is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$6.23 YER 1,469

96.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$25.53 YER 6,021

135.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$9.47 YER 2,233

-20.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 YER 459

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 609

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$3.64 YER 859

18.41%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$1.17 YER 275

47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.55 YER 130

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.07 YER 488

-24.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$1.63 YER 384

94.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$1.98 YER 466

22.22%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$3.58 YER 845

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$16.97 YER 4,003

-56.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$8.17 YER 1,926

27.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$18.64 YER 4,395

-26.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$3.31 YER 782

-29.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.05 YER 248

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$2.17 YER 511

118.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$1.67 YER 394

-0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$1.47 YER 346

153.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$1.37 YER 323

160.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$1.26 YER 298

-12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$0.68 YER 161

275.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 585

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 440

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 YER 590

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$5.58 YER 1,316

-11.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$4.19 YER 988

-46.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$2.15 YER 508

-27.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$7.19 YER 1,696

23.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$2.14 YER 505

-26.64%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$17.2K YER 4.1M

26.77%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.5K YER 8.1M

0.53%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$108 YER 25.4K

-13.14%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$23.33 YER 5,502

50.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$103 YER 24.3K

-49.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$5.76 YER 1,358

36.11%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$115 YER 27.1K

326.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,173 YER 512.6K

446.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$42.19 YER 9,949

26.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$121 YER 28.5K

-53.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$48.73 YER 11.5K

62.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$40.93 YER 9,654

92.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.25

-23.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Al Mahwit: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Al Mahwit

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Al Mahwit

$267 34.7% 23.5% $82

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Al Mahwit

$129 16.7% 38.5% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Al Mahwit

$234 30.4% 29.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Al Mahwit

$114 14.8% 5.4% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al Mahwit

$12 * 1.5% 86.8% $76

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al Mahwit

$15 * 1.9% 82.8% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $26.00 in Al Mahwit. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $267 – making Al Mahwit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇾🇪 Al Mahwit

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,817

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Al Mahwit 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al Mahwit

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 Mahwit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,142 in Al Mahwit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $761 in Al Mahwit. That's a gap of about 141%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $115 in Al Mahwit. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Mahwit, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Al Mahwit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mahwit – 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 Mahwit. 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.