Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ar-rawdah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rawdah: $1,388 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rawdah
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Ar-rawdah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ar-rawdah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,388 in Ar-rawdah.

Nosara $1,839
Ar-rawdah $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,297 in Ar-rawdah.

Nosara $2,828
Ar-rawdah $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,205 in Ar-rawdah.

Nosara $3,818
Ar-rawdah $3,205

Living in Nosara is roughly 32% more expensive than in Ar-rawdah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Ar-rawdah 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.75 KWD 3.93

-3.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$63.3 KWD 19.51

-3.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.94 KWD 2.75

-15.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 KWD 1.50

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.20 KWD 1.60

-15.19%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.75 KWD 0.23

132.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.29 KWD 0.09

351.72%

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

$1.55 KWD 0.48

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.47 KWD 0.45

105.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.92 KWD 0.59

30.73%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.07 KWD 0.64

72.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.42 KWD 1.36

68.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.57 KWD 2.02

60.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.02 KWD 3.09

39.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.41 KWD 0.74

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.86 KWD 0.57

-13.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.80 KWD 0.55

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.49 KWD 0.46

8.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.36 KWD 0.42

179.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.41 KWD 0.43

161.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.25 KWD 0.69

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.59 KWD 0.18

350.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.71 KWD 0.84

91.14%

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

$0.91 KWD 0.28

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-55.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.28 KWD 1.01

-52.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.12 KWD 4.97

-47.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.35 KWD 0.11

334.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.5K KWD 6,322

5.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.0K KWD 6,148

72.99%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$65.7 KWD 20.24

46.60%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.87 KWD 7.05

56.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.24 KWD 9.32

77.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$92.7 KWD 28.55

-22.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.18 KWD 3.45

-29.43%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$298 KWD 91.8

65.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,192 KWD 2,832

29.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$36.80 KWD 11.34

46.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.38 KWD 12.13

40.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.6 KWD 30.39

-21.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.2 KWD 26.88

-8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$793 KWD 244

-0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$633 KWD 195

25.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,501 KWD 463

162.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,354 KWD 417

4.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,601 KWD 493

-23.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.53

32.01%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ar-rawdah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ar-rawdah

$633 45.6% 20.3% $161

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ar-rawdah

$183 13.2% 48% $169

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ar-rawdah

$195 14.1% 7.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ar-rawdah

$119 8.6% 36.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ar-rawdah

$118 8.5% 1.8% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ar-rawdah

$115 8.3% 31.7% $28

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ar-rawdah

$25 * 1.8% 71.5% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $793 in Ar-rawdah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $63.0 in Ar-rawdah. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $183, with Ar-rawdah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇼 Ar-rawdah

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, 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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ar-rawdah 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ar-rawdah

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-rawdah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ar-rawdah wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ar-rawdah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $2,083 in Ar-rawdah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $793 in Ar-rawdah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,388 in Ar-rawdah – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,388 in Ar-rawdah versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rawdah but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rawdah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ar-rawdah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,388 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ar-rawdah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Ar-rawdah 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-rawdah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.