Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Riyadh and in Nosara: $1,768 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh 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 Riyadh and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,768 per month in Riyadh vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Riyadh $1,768
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Riyadh vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Riyadh $2,557
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Riyadh vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Riyadh $3,345
Nosara $3,712

Riyadh is about 4% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Riyadh and Nosara sit above the global median – Riyadh by 32%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.36

$12.22 ₡5,509

-33.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 SAR 250

$60.2 ₡27.1K

10.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 SAR 30.47

$7.54 ₡3,399

7.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.34 SAR 16.31

$4.31 ₡1,941

0.70%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$1.72 ₡773

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$1.35 ₡608

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.57 ₡707

12.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$3.17 ₡1,429

-58.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 SAR 9.03

$2.42 ₡1,091

-0.83%

Eggs

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$3.57 ₡1,609

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.91

$7.43 ₡3,349

43.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 SAR 36.05

$10.42 ₡4,697

-7.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.3

$13.66 ₡6,156

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 SAR 10.51

$2.32 ₡1,044

20.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.45

$1.61 ₡728

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.43

$4.74 ₡2,138

-47.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$1.66 ₡747

8.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.45

$3.72 ₡1,679

-68.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$3.57 ₡1,611

-62.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.10 ₡497

62.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$2.55 ₡1,149

-78.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.26

$4.95 ₡2,232

52.12%

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)

$1.05 SAR 3.96

$1.19 ₡537

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.18 SAR 140

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-48.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 SAR 12.35

$2.24 ₡1,011

46.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

$1.55 ₡701

23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.43 SAR 50.5

$8.86 ₡3,993

51.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.57 ₡708

-58.60%

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

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

58.83%

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

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-34.07%

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

$106 SAR 397

$93.5 ₡42.1K

13.07%

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

$29.10 SAR 109

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-17.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 SAR 273

$51.5 ₡23.2K

41.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 SAR 343

$71.4 ₡32.2K

28.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.4 SAR 212

$35.44 ₡16.0K

59.06%

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 SAR 49.58

$7.84 ₡3,535

68.37%

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

$532 SAR 1,999

$490 ₡220.7K

8.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-13.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 SAR 215

$53.5 ₡24.1K

7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 393

$79.3 ₡35.7K

31.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 SAR 397

$78.9 ₡35.6K

34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 SAR 4,547

$786 ₡354.3K

54.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SAR 3,132

$780 ₡351.6K

6.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 SAR 8,346

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-42.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 SAR 4,658

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-11.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-56.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 SAR 7,274

$1,201 ₡541.3K

61.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 SAR 7,648

$876 ₡395.0K

132.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

8.62

-35.73%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$834 47.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 6.5% $54

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 44.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 11.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 13.2% $27

Eating Out

Riyadh

$146 8.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 43.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$145 8.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.1% $31

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 60.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Riyadh versus $786 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 132% higher in Riyadh, 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 $66.0 in Riyadh versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Riyadh vs $350 in Nosara – so Riyadh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

20:21 8:21 PM

9 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

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 = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

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).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Nosara 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
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

Riyadh vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,768 in Riyadh, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,652 per month in Riyadh and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $532 per month in Riyadh and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Riyadh, where all-in costs run around $1,768, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Riyadh 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 $1,768 in Riyadh 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 Riyadh. 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.