Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Unaizah

For one person, living is cheaper in Unaizah: $1,130 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Unaizah
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Unaizah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Unaizah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Unaizah

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,130 in Unaizah, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Unaizah $1,130

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,681 in Unaizah, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Unaizah $1,681

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,232 in Unaizah, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Unaizah $2,232

Nosara costs about 63% more than Unaizah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Unaizah is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.27 SAR 23.54

96.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.84 SAR 153

49.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.13 SAR 26.77

5.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.88

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.05 SAR 15.20

8.89%

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

$0.28 SAR 1.06

367.86%

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

$1.53 SAR 5.76

1.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.31 SAR 1.17

874.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.26 SAR 8.48

11.06%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.33 SAR 8.74

53.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.90 SAR 22.13

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.60 SAR 17.27

128.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.83 SAR 48.14

8.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.18 SAR 8.17

7.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.57 SAR 5.89

2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.66 SAR 6.24

189.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.56 SAR 5.86

3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.22 SAR 4.59

211.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.62 SAR 9.81

40.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.27 SAR 4.77

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.64 SAR 2.41

315.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.58 SAR 24.69

-21.28%

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

$1.04 SAR 3.91

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$37.39 SAR 140

94.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.70 SAR 10.13

-20.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.85 SAR 6.93

-15.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.10 SAR 49.14

-34.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.65 SAR 2.43

133.85%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$45.2K SAR 169.7K

-52.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

62.08%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 SAR 397

-9.03%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.29 SAR 125

7.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$65.3 SAR 245

-17.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$54.2 SAR 203

32.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.24 SAR 49.70

-40.41%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$423 SAR 1,589

16.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,007 SAR 30.0K

48.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$41.84 SAR 157

28.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$53.9 SAR 202

2.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.1 SAR 361

-18.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.7 SAR 329

-9.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$567 SAR 2,127

39.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$369 SAR 1,386

115.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$823 SAR 3,086

378.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$562 SAR 2,109

152.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,362 SAR 8,863

192.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,374 SAR 5,154

-10.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,543 SAR 9,541

-66.04%

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 Unaizah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Unaizah

$369 32.7% 53.5% $425

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Unaizah

$172 15.3% 51% $180

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Unaizah

$124 11% 41.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Unaizah

$204 18.1% 10.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Unaizah

$126 11.1% 4.7% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Unaizah

$81 7.1% 7.7% $6.7

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Unaizah

$53 4.7% 38.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $567 in Unaizah. 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 194% higher in Unaizah, 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 $41.00 in Unaizah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $172 – making Unaizah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇦 Unaizah

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

01:31 1:31 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

163,729

💱 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 Unaizah 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Unaizah

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 Unaizah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,130 in Unaizah – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,696 in Unaizah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Unaizah, 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 Unaizah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $423 in Unaizah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Unaizah, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Unaizah 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 $1,130 in Unaizah 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 Unaizah. 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.