Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and As-salimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in As-salimiyah: $1,342 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
As-salimiyah
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,342
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in As-salimiyah

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,342 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • As-salimiyah $1,342

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,258 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • As-salimiyah $2,258

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,173 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • As-salimiyah $3,173

Nosara costs about 37% more than As-salimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while As-salimiyah is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$11.26 KWD 3.47
9.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$58.5 KWD 18.03
4.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$8.65 KWD 2.67
-13.06%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.29 KWD 1.01
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.65 KWD 0.51
-
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$5.05 KWD 1.56
-12.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$0.74 KWD 0.23
135.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.31 KWD 0.10
322.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.29 KWD 0.40
20.93%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$0.69 KWD 0.21
337.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.87 KWD 0.58
34.22%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.13 KWD 0.66
67.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$4.40 KWD 1.36
68.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$5.30 KWD 1.63
98.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$9.78 KWD 3.01
42.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.12 KWD 0.65
10.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.56 KWD 0.48
3.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$1.24 KWD 0.38
287.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$1.50 KWD 0.46
7.33%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.31 KWD 0.40
190.08%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$0.77 KWD 0.24
379.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.58 KWD 0.49
-28.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.50 KWD 0.15
432.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.23 KWD 0.99
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.02 KWD 0.31
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.44 KWD 0.44
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$2.67 KWD 0.82
94.01%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$0.83 KWD 0.26
34.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$47.63 KWD 14.68
52.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.15 KWD 0.97
-32.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$3.24 KWD 1.00
-51.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$15.80 KWD 4.87
-46.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$0.33 KWD 0.10
360.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$21.0K KWD 6,461
3.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$20.4K KWD 6,277
69.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$31.73 KWD 9.78
203.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$20.57 KWD 6.34
74.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$29.96 KWD 9.23
78.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$97.9 KWD 30.17
-26.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$64.5 KWD 19.87
-45.87%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$11.20 KWD 3.45
-29.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$276 KWD 84.9
79.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$6,239 KWD 1,922
90.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$37.85 KWD 11.66
42.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$38.85 KWD 11.97
42.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$91.0 KWD 28.04
-14.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$63.7 KWD 19.63
24.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$871 KWD 268
-9.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$629 KWD 194
26.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,783 KWD 549
120.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$1,347 KWD 415
5.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
As-salimiyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$2,752 KWD 848
-68.63%
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 As-salimiyah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
As-salimiyah
$629 20.8% $165
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
As-salimiyah
$155 56% $197
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
As-salimiyah
$181 14.6% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
As-salimiyah
$82 55.7% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
As-salimiyah
$104 13.3% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
As-salimiyah
$120 37.7% $33
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
As-salimiyah
$70 19.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $871 in As-salimiyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 219% higher in As-salimiyah, 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 $59.0 in As-salimiyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $155 – making As-salimiyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇰🇼 As-salimiyah
🕒 Local time
02:00 2:00 AM
11:00 11:00 AM
9 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
147,649
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara As-salimiyah 13,410 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • As-salimiyah

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 As-salimiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is As-salimiyah cheaper than Nosara?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,014 in As-salimiyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in As-salimiyah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Nosara and in As-salimiyah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,342 in As-salimiyah. That's a gap of about 37%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 53% less in As-salimiyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in As-salimiyah?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in As-salimiyah, where all-in costs run around $1,342, than in Nosara at $1,839. In As-salimiyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nosara or As-salimiyah more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward As-salimiyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nosara or As-salimiyah?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with As-salimiyah. 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.

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