Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jeddah

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,360 in Jeddah, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Jeddah $1,360

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,168 in Jeddah, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Jeddah $2,168

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,975 in Jeddah, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Jeddah $2,975

Nosara costs about 35% more than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Jeddah sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Jeddah by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.04 SAR 22.68

102.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$79.8 SAR 300

-24.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.75 SAR 32.85

-13.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.77 SAR 14.16

14.32%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.97 SAR 3.65

77.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.24 SAR 0.90

462.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.67 SAR 6.28

-5.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.33 SAR 4.99

138.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.37 SAR 8.89

2.11%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.48 SAR 9.31

43.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.36 SAR 23.89

16.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.00 SAR 30.02

30.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$13.31 SAR 49.98

2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.10 SAR 7.90

10.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.77 SAR 6.63

-9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.54 SAR 5.80

207.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.69 SAR 6.36

-1.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.13 SAR 4.26

229.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.29 SAR 4.85

176.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.12 SAR 4.22

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.50 SAR 1.87

410.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.23 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$6.86 SAR 25.77

-27.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.89 SAR 3.35

33.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$55.5 SAR 208

29.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.11 SAR 11.69

-27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-12.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$14.12 SAR 53.0

-37.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.59 SAR 2.21

166.10%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$47.7K SAR 179.0K

-54.26%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

61.71%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$90.3 SAR 339

3.47%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$39.04 SAR 147

-10.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$67.9 SAR 255

-24.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$79.6 SAR 299

-10.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$38.23 SAR 144

-7.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$12.04 SAR 45.22

-34.88%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$757 SAR 2,841

-35.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$16.3K SAR 61.1K

-26.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$73.8 SAR 277

-27.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$56.0 SAR 210

-0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$101 SAR 380

-21.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$94.3 SAR 354

-16.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$790 SAR 2,966

-0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$535 SAR 2,009

45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,418 SAR 5,323

172.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$817 SAR 3,070

72.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,777 SAR 6,673

292.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,143 SAR 4,291

5.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,646 SAR 6,180

-46.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.39

59.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Jeddah

$535 38.8% 31.4% $245

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Jeddah

$201 14.6% 42.6% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Jeddah

$125 9% 40.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Jeddah

$197 14.3% 9.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Jeddah

$146 10.6% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jeddah

$104 7.5% 19.1% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jeddah

$71 5.2% 18.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $790 in Jeddah. 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 88% higher in Jeddah, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $80.0 in Jeddah. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $201 in Jeddah – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,430,697

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jeddah 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,360 in Jeddah – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,040 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $80.0 in Jeddah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $1,360 in Jeddah. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jeddah, where all-in costs run around $1,360, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Jeddah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,360 in Jeddah to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Jeddah. 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.