Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakakah: $1,188 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sakakah

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,188 in Sakakah, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sakakah $1,188

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,756 in Sakakah, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sakakah $1,756

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,324 in Sakakah, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sakakah $2,324

Nosara costs about 55% more than Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sakakah is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.73 SAR 21.49

115.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$37.30 SAR 140

64.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.20 SAR 30.76

-8.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.50 SAR 13.13

26.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.68 SAR 2.55

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.32 SAR 1.19

309.38%

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

$1.72 SAR 6.46

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.31 SAR 4.91

130.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.33 SAR 8.75

7.73%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.35 SAR 8.80

51.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.41 SAR 27.81

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.08 SAR 30.31

30.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.76 SAR 47.89

9.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.23 SAR 8.36

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.59 SAR 5.98

201.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.58 SAR 5.93

1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.17 SAR 4.39

224.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.28 SAR 4.80

188.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.21 SAR 4.55

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.54 SAR 2.01

392.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 SAR 6.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.72 SAR 25.22

-22.92%

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

$1.09 SAR 4.08

2.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$37.36 SAR 140

94.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.62 SAR 9.84

-18.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.88 SAR 7.07

-16.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.31 SAR 49.96

-35.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.60 SAR 2.26

153.33%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.8K SAR 168.1K

-51.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.2K SAR 79.4K

63.04%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$105 SAR 393

-7.99%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.57 SAR 122

10.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$66.0 SAR 248

-18.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$80.3 SAR 301

-10.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.30 SAR 49.89

-40.68%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$417 SAR 1,565

18.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,055 SAR 30.2K

47.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$43.19 SAR 162

24.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$55.4 SAR 208

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.4 SAR 366

-20.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$85.7 SAR 321

-7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$573 SAR 2,150

37.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$378 SAR 1,417

110.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$821 SAR 3,081

379.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$566 SAR 2,123

150.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,363 SAR 8,868

192.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,366 SAR 5,125

-10.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$949 SAR 3,562

-9.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.54

55.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sakakah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sakakah

$378 31.8% 52.5% $417

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sakakah

$203 17.1% 42.3% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sakakah

$116 9.8% 45.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sakakah

$203 17.1% 9.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sakakah

$127 10.7% 5.6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sakakah

$107 9% 22.3% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sakakah

$54 4.5% 38.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $573 in Sakakah. 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 10% higher in Sakakah, 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 $37.00 in Sakakah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $203 – making Sakakah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

242,813

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sakakah 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,188 in Sakakah – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,782 in Sakakah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 94% less in Sakakah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $417 in Sakakah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sakakah, where all-in costs run around $1,188, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sakakah 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 $1,188 in Sakakah to $1,839 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 Sakakah. 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.