Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
Learn more

Al-qardahah Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $638 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Al-qardahah $638

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,011 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Al-qardahah $1,011

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,383 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Al-qardahah $1,383

Nosara costs about 188% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Al-qardahah is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$9.83 SYP 1,194

25.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$42.10 SYP 5,117

45.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.03 SYP 855

6.97%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.67 SYP 446

20.16%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.27 SYP 276

-23.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.86 SYP 105

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.05 SYP 249

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.98 SYP 484

12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.10 SYP 133

41.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.42 SYP 50.5

619.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.58 SYP 192

58.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.60 SYP 195

123.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.89 SYP 472

91.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.56 SYP 676

89.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.73 SYP 1,668

1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.02 SYP 124

130.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.41 SYP 171

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.15 SYP 139

317.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.03 SYP 125

56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.76 SYP 91.9

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.76 SYP 92.1

385.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.44 SYP 53.5

156.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.62 SYP 75.9

329.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.85 SYP 346

81.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.81 SYP 706

242.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.05 SYP 128

176.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.92 SYP 355

24.32%

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

$0.98 SYP 120

118.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.57 SYP 190

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.49 SYP 911

13.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$3.72 SYP 452

-59.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

43.35%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

81.77%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$137 SYP 16.7K

-29.84%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.89 SYP 1,202

262.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$45.78 SYP 5,564

17.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.62 SYP 683

40.39%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$66.2 SYP 8,040

646.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

565.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$29.05 SYP 3,531

85.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.40 SYP 4,788

40.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.0 SYP 7,164

32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$57.9 SYP 7,030

37.61%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.25

-39.51%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3% 52.4% $185

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3% 17.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2% 3.9% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1% 30.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8% 87.1% $76

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4% 89.9% $78

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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $42.00 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $168 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Al-qardahah 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 188%, 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 $958 in Al-qardahah. 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 $42.00 in Al-qardahah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 110% 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-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-qardahah – 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-qardahah. 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.