Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ar-rustaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $958 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ar-rustaq $958

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,438 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ar-rustaq $1,438

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,918 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ar-rustaq $1,918

Nosara costs about 92% more than Ar-rustaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ar-rustaq is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.31 OMR 2.04

132.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$39.09 OMR 15.05

56.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.01 OMR 3.08

-6.12%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.10 OMR 1.96

-13.53%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.86 OMR 0.33

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.29 OMR 0.11

351.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-74.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$12.84 OMR 4.94

-65.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-31.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.19 OMR 0.46

153.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.84 OMR 0.71

36.41%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.06 OMR 1.18

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.51 OMR 2.89

-1.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.11 OMR 2.74

47.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.73 OMR 4.13

30.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.67 OMR 1.41

-35.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.02 OMR 0.78

-20.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.31 OMR 0.89

107.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.32 OMR 0.51

21.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.17 OMR 0.45

224.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.28 OMR 0.49

188.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.84 OMR 0.71

-38.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.71 OMR 0.27

274.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.58 OMR 2.53

-21.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.57 OMR 5.99

27.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$5.81 OMR 2.24

-50.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$10.12 OMR 3.89

-64.13%

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

$3.17 OMR 1.22

-32.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.56 OMR 0.99

-38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.96 OMR 3.06

7.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.63 OMR 0.24

141.27%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.8K OMR 9,938

-16.28%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.0K OMR 8,854

50.09%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$181 OMR 69.8

-46.90%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$28.68 OMR 11.04

25.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$70.4 OMR 27.10

-23.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.32 OMR 3.97

-23.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$293 OMR 113

68.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K OMR 4,101

11.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.4 OMR 22.09

-5.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$43.10 OMR 16.59

28.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.8 OMR 34.20

-12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$86.7 OMR 33.39

-8.20%

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

$4,439 OMR 1,709

-80.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.25

64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ar-rustaq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6% 16.7% $59

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3% 5.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3% 51% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ar-rustaq

$124 13% 3.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2% 76.4% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7% 81.7% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 414% higher in Ar-rustaq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $39.00 in Ar-rustaq. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $293 – making Ar-rustaq the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

20:59 8:59 PM

10 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

120,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ar-rustaq 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ar-rustaq

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-rustaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,437 in Ar-rustaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $958 in Ar-rustaq. That's a gap of about 92%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $293 in Ar-rustaq. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ar-rustaq – 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 Ar-rustaq. 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.