Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,184 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Al-Ula $1,184

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,757 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Al-Ula $1,757

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,330 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Al-Ula $2,330

Nosara costs about 55% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.11 SAR 22.91

102.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$36.80 SAR 138

66.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.96 SAR 29.87

-5.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.17 SAR 11.89

39.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.86 SAR 3.24

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.26 SAR 0.98

403.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.27 SAR 4.75

137.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.30 SAR 8.62

9.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.32 SAR 8.72

53.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.39 SAR 27.75

0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.07 SAR 30.27

30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.67 SAR 47.54

10.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.25 SAR 8.45

4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.58 SAR 5.94

203.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.57 SAR 5.89

2.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.23 SAR 4.61

208.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.28 SAR 4.79

188.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.22 SAR 4.58

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.54 SAR 2.02

392.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-23.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.09 SAR 4.08

2.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$36.77 SAR 138

97.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-18.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-15.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.14 SAR 49.29

-35.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.65 SAR 2.44

133.85%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

-50.92%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

62.04%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 SAR 397

-9.09%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.21 SAR 125

8.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$65.8 SAR 247

-18.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$82.4 SAR 309

-13.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.33 SAR 50.0

-40.81%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$425 SAR 1,596

16.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

46.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$42.74 SAR 160

26.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$55.4 SAR 208

0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.2 SAR 361

-18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.6 SAR 329

-9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$576 SAR 2,162

36.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$372 SAR 1,397

113.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$832 SAR 3,121

373.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$572 SAR 2,147

148.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,323 SAR 8,718

197.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,382 SAR 5,187

-11.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.54

55.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Al-Ula

$372 31.5% 53.1% $422

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Al-Ula

$203 17.1% 42.5% $150

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Al-Ula

$115 9.7% 45.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Al-Ula

$205 17.3% 10.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Al-Ula

$127 10.7% 5.6% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Al-Ula

$109 9.2% 24.8% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Al-Ula

$53 4.5% 39.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $576 in Al-Ula. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $37.00 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $203 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

13:43 1:43 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,413

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Al-Ula 12,700 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,184 in Al-Ula – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,776 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $425 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Al-Ula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,184 in Al-Ula to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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-Ula. 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.