Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,154 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,154 in Ar-rass.

Nosara $1,839
Ar-rass $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,690 in Ar-rass.

Nosara $2,828
Ar-rass $1,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,226 in Ar-rass.

Nosara $3,818
Ar-rass $2,226

Living in Nosara is roughly 59% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Ar-rass is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.16 SAR 23.12

100.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$37.47 SAR 141

63.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.90 SAR 29.65

-4.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.25 SAR 12.18

35.69%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.91 SAR 3.41

91.21%

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

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-13.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.39 SAR 1.45

674.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.92 SAR 7.19

30.73%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.60 SAR 13.52

-0.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.00 SAR 26.28

6.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.05 SAR 30.20

30.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.79 SAR 47.99

9.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.24 SAR 8.41

4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.57 SAR 5.91

205.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.57 SAR 5.89

2.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.16 SAR 4.37

227.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.36 SAR 5.11

171.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 SAR 2.14

366.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$7.53 SAR 28.27

-31.21%

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

$0.98 SAR 3.69

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$34.39 SAR 129

111.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.59 SAR 9.72

-17.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.87 SAR 7.02

-16.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$11.84 SAR 44.42

-28.04%

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

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

-49.87%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

65.52%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$110 SAR 414

-12.68%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.87 SAR 89.6

50.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$59.0 SAR 221

-9.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.88 SAR 168

59.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.43 SAR 50.4

-41.25%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$425 SAR 1,595

16.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

36.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$42.84 SAR 161

25.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$62.4 SAR 234

-11.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.1 SAR 360

-18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.6 SAR 329

-9.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$579 SAR 2,174

36.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$394 SAR 1,480

101.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$388 SAR 1,456

915.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$563 SAR 2,111

152.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,625 SAR 9,851

163.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,188 SAR 4,460

3.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,765 SAR 6,622

-51.07%

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 Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ar-rass

$394 34.2% 50.4% $400

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ar-rass

$198 17.1% 43.9% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ar-rass

$117 10.1% 44.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ar-rass

$193 16.7% 3.9% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ar-rass

$130 11.3% 8.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ar-rass

$72 6.2% 17.9% $16

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ar-rass

$50 4.4% 42.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $579 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays 104% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $37.00 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $198 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

18:11 6:11 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

121,359

💱 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 Ar-rass 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Ar-rass differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,154 including rent). Ar-rass is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Ar-rass. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $579 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $425 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.