Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rabigh

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabigh: $953 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rabigh
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Rabigh Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Rabigh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rabigh

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $953 in Rabigh, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Rabigh $953

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $1,456 in Rabigh, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Rabigh $1,456

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $1,960 in Rabigh, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Rabigh $1,960

Nosara costs about 94% more than Rabigh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Rabigh is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$4.66 SAR 17.49

165.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$26.40 SAR 99.1

130.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$6.97 SAR 26.15

13.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 SAR 5.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.57 SAR 9.63

71.21%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.70 SAR 2.63

145.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.23 SAR 0.86

482.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.88 SAR 7.06

-12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$1.02 SAR 3.82

209.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.19 SAR 8.23

9.13%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.56 SAR 9.61

35.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$6.08 SAR 22.80

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$12.04 SAR 45.17

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$12.95 SAR 48.60

7.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$2.08 SAR 7.81

10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.62 SAR 6.08

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$1.80 SAR 6.76

167.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.50 SAR 5.62

12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.33 SAR 4.99

193.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$1.51 SAR 5.67

140.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.06 SAR 3.97

6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.74 SAR 2.77

255.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.89 SAR 10.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.22

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$7.94 SAR 29.80

-36.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.08 SAR 4.06

12.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$33.60 SAR 126

119.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.41 SAR 9.06

-10.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-37.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$13.48 SAR 50.6

-34.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$0.61 SAR 2.27

154.10%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

27.29%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

79.82%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$66.6 SAR 250

42.96%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$34.24 SAR 128

5.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$63.8 SAR 239

-18.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$74.0 SAR 277

-8.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$15.35 SAR 57.6

-50.88%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$428 SAR 1,606

16.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$7,737 SAR 29.0K

52.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$13.32 SAR 49.99

313.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$55.3 SAR 207

1.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$39.72 SAR 149

95.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$53.7 SAR 201

47.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$335 SAR 1,258

143.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$244 SAR 917

229.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$610 SAR 2,290

553.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$424 SAR 1,591

237.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$1,728 SAR 6,484

309.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$1,478 SAR 5,546

-19.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.25

64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Rabigh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Rabigh

$244 25.7% 69.7% $561

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Rabigh

$220 23.1% 37.3% $131

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Rabigh

$93 9.7% 56.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Rabigh

$165 17.3% 10.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Rabigh

$73 7.7% 39.6% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Rabigh

$53 5.6% 39.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Rabigh

$105 11% 26.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $335 in Rabigh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $26 in Rabigh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $220 – making Rabigh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Rabigh

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

18:19 6:19 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

92,072

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Rabigh 12,980 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rabigh

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 Rabigh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $953 in Rabigh – roughly 94% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,429 in Rabigh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rabigh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Rabigh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $428 in Rabigh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Rabigh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Rabigh is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 94% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.