Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qatif and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
Learn more

Qatif Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qatif and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qatif and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,102 per month in Qatif vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Qatif $1,102
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,642 per month in Qatif vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Qatif $1,642
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,183 per month in Qatif vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Qatif $2,183
Nosara $3,818

Qatif is about 40% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Qatif sits 18% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 SAR 13.07

$12.35 ₡5,539

-71.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.45 SAR 129

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-43.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 SAR 24.75

$7.52 ₡3,373

-12.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

Cappuccino

$3.15 SAR 11.81

$4.41 ₡1,978

-28.57%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.92

$1.74 ₡780

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 SAR 0.76

$1.31 ₡587

-84.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

$1.56 ₡701

16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.63

$3.02 ₡1,355

-67.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 SAR 6.96

$2.51 ₡1,125

-25.90%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 SAR 22.35

$7.43 ₡3,333

-19.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 SAR 29.16

$10.52 ₡4,717

-26.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.73 SAR 47.77

$13.97 ₡6,265

-8.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

$2.35 ₡1,052

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.36

$1.61 ₡720

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

-67.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 SAR 2.59

$1.61 ₡724

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.19

$3.80 ₡1,703

-70.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 SAR 4.32

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 SAR 3.66

$1.13 ₡507

-14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.71 SAR 10.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SAR 5.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SAR 7.98

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 SAR 23.42

$5.18 ₡2,321

20.46%

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)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$1.12 ₡504

-1.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.81 SAR 138

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-49.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 SAR 9.09

$2.14 ₡958

13.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 SAR 2.07

$1.57 ₡703

-64.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.11 SAR 49.19

$8.52 ₡3,823

53.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 SAR 2.34

$1.52 ₡682

-59.21%

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

$35.9K SAR 134.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.00%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-39.92%

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

$107 SAR 400

$96.3 ₡43.2K

10.79%

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

$32.52 SAR 122

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-9.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 SAR 218

$53.6 ₡24.0K

8.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.9 SAR 307

$71.6 ₡32.1K

14.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.75 SAR 81.6

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-37.70%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$7.89 ₡3,539

68.95%

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

$268 SAR 1,005

$494 ₡221.6K

-45.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,092 SAR 30.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.99 SAR 120

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-40.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.32 SAR 80.0

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-61.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 SAR 364

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 SAR 338

$79.6 ₡35.7K

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 SAR 2,159

$788 ₡353.4K

-26.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 SAR 1,375

$794 ₡356.2K

-53.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-59.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$976 SAR 3,663

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-85.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$790 SAR 2,963

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-35.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 SAR 8,537

$864 ₡387.3K

163.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

8.62

-36.19%

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

Last update for Qatif: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qatif

$367 33.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 117% $428

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qatif

$197 17.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.8% $11

Groceries & Markets

Qatif

$186 16.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 89.8% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Qatif

$109 9.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 19.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Qatif

$108 9.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.1% $12

Eating Out

Qatif

$89 8.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 137% $122

Getting Around

Qatif

$46 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 87.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $575 in Qatif versus $788 in Nosara. 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 163% higher in Qatif, 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 $34.00 in Qatif versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $352 – making Qatif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Qatif

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

08:16 8:16 AM

9 h behind Qatif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,332

4,912

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qatif Nosara 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Qatif
Nosara

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

Qatif vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,102 in Qatif, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,653 per month in Qatif and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 97% less in Qatif. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $268 per month in Qatif and $494 in Nosara. 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 Qatif, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Qatif 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 $1,102 in Qatif 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 Qatif. 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.