Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Khafji

For one person, living is cheaper in Khafji: $675 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Khafji
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Khafji Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Khafji

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Khafji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $675 in Khafji.

Nosara $1,839
Khafji $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,061 in Khafji.

Nosara $2,828
Khafji $1,061

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,447 in Khafji.

Nosara $3,818
Khafji $1,447

Living in Nosara is roughly 172% more expensive than in Khafji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Khafji is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.22 SAR 12.09

283.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$34.71 SAR 130

76.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.00 SAR 18.75

50.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.02 SAR 11.32

46.03%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.73 SAR 2.73

138.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.19 SAR 0.72

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

$1.80 SAR 6.74

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.34 SAR 5.02

125.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.88 SAR 7.04

33.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.13 SAR 7.98

67.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.62 SAR 28.58

-2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.07 SAR 30.30

30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.64 SAR 47.42

10.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.20 SAR 8.26

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.59 SAR 5.98

201.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.60 SAR 6.00

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.12 SAR 4.21

239.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.20 SAR 4.49

207.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.27 SAR 4.78

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 SAR 2.15

366.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.04 SAR 15.15

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SAR 5.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 SAR 8.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$7.66 SAR 28.75

-32.38%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.64 SAR 9.90

-18.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.64 SAR 9.91

-40.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-36.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.64 SAR 2.41

137.50%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$65.7K SAR 246.6K

-67.11%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.8K SAR 77.9K

66.29%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$131 SAR 490

-26.26%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.18 SAR 121

11.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$63.0 SAR 236

-14.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.28 SAR 49.82

-40.59%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$133 SAR 500

270.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,009 SAR 15.0K

195.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$42.39 SAR 159

27.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$49.33 SAR 185

12.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$94.5 SAR 355

-17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$91.1 SAR 342

-12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$678 SAR 2,544

16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.9

46.10%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Khafji: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Khafji

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Khafji

$201 29.8% 42.8% $151

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Khafji

$81 12% 61.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Khafji

$226 33.4% 21.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Khafji

$125 18.5% 3.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Khafji

$27 * 3.9% 69.6% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Khafji

$16 * 2.4% 81.8% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $678 in Khafji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $35.00 in Khafji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $201 per month, with Khafji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Khafji

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

67,012

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Nosara Khafji 13,500 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Khafji

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 Khafji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khafji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,013 in Khafji 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 $678 in Khafji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $133 in Khafji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Khafji – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $675 in Khafji versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Khafji but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Khafji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Khafji 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 Khafji 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 Khafji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.