Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and As Samawah

For one person, living is cheaper in As Samawah: $644 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in As Samawah
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As Samawah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

As Samawah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in As Samawah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $644 in As Samawah.

Nosara $1,839
As Samawah $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,050 in As Samawah.

Nosara $2,828
As Samawah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,456 in As Samawah.

Nosara $3,818
As Samawah $1,456

Living in Nosara is roughly 186% more expensive than in As Samawah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, As Samawah is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.36 IQD 6,593

183.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$29.34 IQD 44.3K

108.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.51 IQD 9,844

15.51%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.79 IQD 4,215

58.06%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.31 IQD 474

461.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.16 IQD 237

718.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.21 IQD 4,850

2.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.39 IQD 5,118

31.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.94 IQD 1,422

65.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.63 IQD 959

379.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.35 IQD 2,046

85.93%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.56 IQD 2,356

128.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$1.29 IQD 1,953

475.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.21 IQD 6,360

149.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

17.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$0.97 IQD 1,464

142.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.98 IQD 1,482

64.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.83 IQD 1,251

478.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.42 IQD 640

283.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.51 IQD 776

645.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.55 IQD 836

570.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.55 IQD 826

105.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.62 IQD 939

329.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.69 IQD 2,552

206.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.42 IQD 9,703

209.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.89 IQD 2,858

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.90 IQD 2,875

91.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.47 IQD 709

138.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$19.97 IQD 30.2K

263.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.03 IQD 3,070

5.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.35 IQD 2,034

16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.72 IQD 4,106

213.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.57 IQD 862

166.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

30.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

106.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$71.3 IQD 107.8K

34.97%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.32 IQD 24.7K

119.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$16.39 IQD 24.8K

226.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$36.23 IQD 54.7K

97.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.66 IQD 25.2K

109.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.97 IQD 12.0K

-1.00%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

883.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,315 IQD 2.0M

801.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$24.56 IQD 37.1K

119.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.74 IQD 41.9K

99.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.2 IQD 88.0K

33.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$41.02 IQD 62.0K

94.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$175 IQD 264.3K

350.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$133 IQD 201.6K

495.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$168 IQD 254.3K

2240.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$308 IQD 465.6K

360.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$794 IQD 1.2M

770.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$623 IQD 942.0K

96.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.12

109.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for As Samawah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

As Samawah

$133 20.7% 83.2% $661

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

As Samawah

$143 22.2% 59.5% $210

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

As Samawah

$113 17.5% 46.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

As Samawah

$104 16.2% 44% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

As Samawah

$68 10.6% 43.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

As Samawah

$52 8.1% 40.3% $35

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

As Samawah

$31 4.8% 64.9% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $175 in As Samawah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $29.00 in As Samawah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $143 per month, with As Samawah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 As Samawah

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

250,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara As Samawah 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
As Samawah

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 Samawah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Samawah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 186% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $966 in As Samawah 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 $175 in As Samawah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in As Samawah runs roughly 264% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $50.2 in As Samawah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $644 in As Samawah versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in As Samawah but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes As Samawah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, As Samawah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and As Samawah 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 As Samawah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.