Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al-mawsil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $601 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $601 in Al-mawsil.

Nosara $1,839
Al-mawsil $601

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $917 in Al-mawsil.

Nosara $2,828
Al-mawsil $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,233 in Al-mawsil.

Nosara $3,818
Al-mawsil $1,233

Living in Nosara is roughly 206% more expensive than in Al-mawsil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Al-mawsil is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.46 IQD 9,767

91.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$10.37 IQD 15.7K

489.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.03 IQD 7,597

49.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$0.68 IQD 1,024

548.53%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.34 IQD 519

411.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.14 IQD 219

835.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.85 IQD 1,286

285.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.31 IQD 1,977

241.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.63 IQD 950

147.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.64 IQD 964

371.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.54 IQD 816

364.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$0.94 IQD 1,424

279.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.10 IQD 10.7K

4.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.00 IQD 4,536

250.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.80 IQD 11.8K

79.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$0.64 IQD 970

267.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.67 IQD 1,013

140.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.51 IQD 769

841.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.22 IQD 332

631.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.27 IQD 408

1307.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.32 IQD 483

1053.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.61 IQD 928

85.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 IQD 773

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.62 IQD 2,448

219.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.82 IQD 16.3K

83.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.41 IQD 2,124

105.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.88 IQD 2,838

93.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.40 IQD 600

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$19.83 IQD 30.0K

266.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.61 IQD 2,438

32.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.61 IQD 2,430

-2.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.86 IQD 5,830

120.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.29 IQD 432

424.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$13.2K IQD 19.9M

63.81%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.0K IQD 22.7M

129.83%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

4.11%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.26 IQD 18.5K

192.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.36 IQD 35.3K

129.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$36.85 IQD 55.7K

94.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.72 IQD 10.2K

419.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

17.06%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$307 IQD 463.9K

60.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$588 IQD 888.5K

1916.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$16.19 IQD 24.5K

233.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$13.44 IQD 20.3K

312.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.1 IQD 89.3K

31.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$15.72 IQD 23.8K

406.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$176 IQD 265.7K

348.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$130 IQD 196.5K

510.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$381 IQD 575.7K

933.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$305 IQD 461.0K

365.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$745 IQD 1.1M

827.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$587 IQD 887.1K

108.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$537 IQD 811.7K

60.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.53

240.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al-mawsil

$130 21.6% 83.6% $664

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al-mawsil

$131 21.8% 62.8% $221

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al-mawsil

$84 13.9% 60.5% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al-mawsil

$128 21.3% 31% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al-mawsil

$47 7.8% 60.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4% 42.4% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al-mawsil

$31 5.2% 64.3% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $176 in Al-mawsil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $10.00 in Al-mawsil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $131 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

20:21 8:21 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,683,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Al-mawsil 12,590 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al-mawsil

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-mawsil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 206% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $176 in Al-mawsil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $307 in Al-mawsil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 169% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $601 in Al-mawsil versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al-mawsil 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-mawsil 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-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 206% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.