Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jubail

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,093 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jubail

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,093 in Jubail.

Nosara $1,837
Jubail $1,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,699 in Jubail.

Nosara $2,775
Jubail $1,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,305 in Jubail.

Nosara $3,712
Jubail $2,305

Living in Nosara is roughly 68% more expensive than in Jubail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Jubail is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.72 SAR 25.22

81.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$40.26 SAR 151

49.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.30 SAR 34.93

-18.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.82

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SAR 8.78

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.03 SAR 15.14

6.95%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.98 SAR 3.69

75.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.26 SAR 0.97

419.23%

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

$1.52 SAR 5.70

3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.40 SAR 5.25

126.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.59 SAR 5.98

52.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.06 SAR 7.75

73.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.90 SAR 37.17

-24.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.45 SAR 24.22

61.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.74 SAR 44.07

16.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.16 SAR 8.12

7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.74 SAR 6.55

-7.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.50 SAR 5.62

216.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.67 SAR 6.26

-0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.29 SAR 4.86

188.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.33 SAR 5.00

168.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.70 SAR 6.37

-35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.55 SAR 2.06

363.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.72

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 SAR 8.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$6.51 SAR 24.45

-23.96%

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

$1.30 SAR 4.88

-8.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$23.68 SAR 88.9

204.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.35 SAR 12.58

-33.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.63 SAR 9.86

-41.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$13.42 SAR 50.4

-33.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.64 SAR 2.39

145.31%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$44.8K SAR 168.2K

-51.33%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

62.74%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$80.7 SAR 303

15.76%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$27.59 SAR 104

27.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$66.5 SAR 250

-22.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$103 SAR 386

-30.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$40.07 SAR 150

-11.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$13.42 SAR 50.4

-41.58%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$181 SAR 681

169.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,911 SAR 29.7K

50.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$41.97 SAR 158

27.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$60.3 SAR 226

-7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$82.3 SAR 309

-3.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$87.5 SAR 329

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$430 SAR 1,614

82.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$298 SAR 1,119

161.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$648 SAR 2,433

495.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$538 SAR 2,021

161.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,805 SAR 10.5K

148.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,366 SAR 5,131

-12.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,622 SAR 6,090

-45.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.62

53.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jubail: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Jubail

$298 27.1% 61.8% $482

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Jubail

$196 17.8% 43.8% $153

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Jubail

$135 12.3% 35.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Jubail

$175 15.9% 2.9% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Jubail

$122 11.1% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jubail

$130 11.8% 48.8% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jubail

$45 4.1% 47.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $430 in Jubail. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jubail pays 85% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $40.00 in Jubail for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $196 per month, with Jubail cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Jubail

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

11:24 11:24 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

337,778

💱 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 = 0.237 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 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 = 0.237 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jubail 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jubail

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 Jubail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jubail wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jubail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Jubail. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $430 in Jubail. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,093 in Jubail – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jubail runs roughly 204% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,093 in Jubail versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jubail but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Jubail the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jubail delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,093 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jubail hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Jubail 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 Jubail gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.