Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dhahran

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,317 in Dhahran, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Dhahran $1,317

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,671 in Dhahran, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Dhahran $1,671

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,026 in Dhahran, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Dhahran $2,026

Nosara costs about 40% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Dhahran is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.30 SAR 19.90

133.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$39.17 SAR 147

56.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.35 SAR 23.81

18.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.01 SAR 15.03

9.98%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.74 SAR 2.76

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.19 SAR 0.70

589.47%

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

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.97 SAR 3.62

211.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.97 SAR 7.41

27.41%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.87 SAR 14.54

-7.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.59 SAR 32.23

-13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.92 SAR 40.97

-3.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.89 SAR 52.1

0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.15 SAR 8.07

9.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.39 SAR 5.21

15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.78 SAR 6.69

169.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.80 SAR 6.74

-10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.50 SAR 5.61

153.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.96 SAR 3.61

284.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-42.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.85 SAR 3.19

212.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.57 SAR 20.92

-7.00%

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

$0.83 SAR 3.11

34.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.36 SAR 5.12

57.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-51.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-10.50%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-59.40%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

66.86%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$59.0 SAR 221

63.18%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$42.19 SAR 158

-14.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$64.9 SAR 244

-17.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$195 SAR 731

-63.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$93.5 SAR 351

-62.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.56 SAR 39.62

-25.28%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$65.3 SAR 245

656.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

-10.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$50.6 SAR 190

6.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.79 SAR 157

32.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.9 SAR 289

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$90.4 SAR 339

-11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$361 SAR 1,355

118.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$453 SAR 1,700

75.33%

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

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

-69.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.5

91.56%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 43% $341

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 34.4% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 46.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 10.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 147% $128

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 76% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $361 in Dhahran. 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 223% higher in Dhahran, 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 Dhahran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $231 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

120,521

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dhahran 13,760 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 40% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,976 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhahran, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,317 in Dhahran. That's a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $65.3 in Dhahran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dhahran costs $1,317 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Dhahran. 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.