Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sanaa

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,040 in Sanaa, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Sanaa $1,040

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,608 in Sanaa, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Sanaa $1,608

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,175 in Sanaa, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Sanaa $2,175

Nosara costs about 77% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Sanaa is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.46 YER 1,524

89.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$25.31 YER 5,969

137.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.75 YER 2,300

-22.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 YER 462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 611

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.82 YER 900

12.83%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.17 YER 277

47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.60 YER 141

125.00%

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

$1.98 YER 468

-20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.64 YER 387

93.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.09 YER 492

15.79%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.57 YER 842

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$17.52 YER 4,131

-57.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.41 YER 1,984

23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$19.10 YER 4,504

-28.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.40 YER 802

-31.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.05 YER 249

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.21 YER 521

114.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.67 YER 393

-0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.51 YER 357

146.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.38 YER 326

158.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.20 YER 284

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.68 YER 160

275.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 584

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 423

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 YER 602

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.66 YER 1,336

-12.54%

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

$0.43 YER 102

176.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$86.3 YER 20.4K

-16.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$4.19 YER 988

-46.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.10 YER 494

-26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$7.22 YER 1,704

22.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.06 YER 486

-23.79%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$16.9K YER 4.0M

29.05%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.6K YER 8.2M

0.12%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$109 YER 25.6K

-14.03%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$23.35 YER 5,506

50.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$102 YER 24.0K

-49.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$67.1 YER 15.8K

6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$16.03 YER 3,779

121.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.97 YER 1,407

31.32%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$118 YER 27.7K

316.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,130 YER 502.3K

457.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$42.48 YER 10.0K

26.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$121 YER 28.5K

-53.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$47.63 YER 11.2K

66.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$40.69 YER 9,594

93.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$222 YER 52.4K

253.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$94.7 YER 22.3K

723.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$408 YER 96.2K

846.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$276 YER 65.0K

410.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,240 YER 999.9K

64.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$825 YER 194.6K

45.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$197 YER 46.4K

345.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.25

-23.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Sanaa

$95 9.2% 87.9% $685

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Sanaa

$272 26.4% 22.3% $78

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Sanaa

$134 13% 36.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Sanaa

$234 22.7% 29.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sanaa

$113 11% 6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sanaa

$79 7.7% 9.2% $8

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sanaa

$103 10% 18.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $222 in Sanaa. 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 346% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $25.00 in Sanaa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $272 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

08:13 8:13 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, 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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sanaa 13,820 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,040 in Sanaa – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,560 in Sanaa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 20% less in Sanaa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $118 in Sanaa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,040, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sanaa 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 $1,040 in Sanaa 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 Sanaa. 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.