Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sakakah and Nosara

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.

Sakakah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,188
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

  • Sakakah $1,188
  • Nosara $1,839

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

  • Sakakah $1,756
  • Nosara $2,828

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

  • Sakakah $2,324
  • Nosara $3,818

Sakakah is about 35% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.73 SAR 21.49
$12.35 ₡5,539
-53.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.30 SAR 140
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-39.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.20 SAR 30.76
$7.52 ₡3,373
9.04%
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
$3.50 SAR 13.13
$4.41 ₡1,978
-20.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 SAR 2.55
$1.74 ₡780
-60.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 SAR 1.19
$1.31 ₡587
-75.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.28 ₡1,471
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.47 ₡2,004
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 SAR 6.46
$1.56 ₡701
10.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 SAR 4.91
$3.02 ₡1,355
-56.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 SAR 8.75
$2.51 ₡1,125
-7.17%
Eggs
$2.35 SAR 8.80
$3.57 ₡1,603
-34.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.41 SAR 27.81
$7.43 ₡3,333
-0.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.08 SAR 30.31
$10.52 ₡4,717
-23.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.76 SAR 47.89
$13.97 ₡6,265
-8.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 SAR 8.36
$2.35 ₡1,052
-5.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 SAR 6.60
$1.61 ₡720
9.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.59 SAR 5.98
$4.80 ₡2,152
-66.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 SAR 5.93
$1.61 ₡724
-1.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 SAR 4.39
$3.80 ₡1,703
-69.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 SAR 4.80
$3.69 ₡1,657
-65.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 SAR 4.55
$1.13 ₡507
7.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 SAR 2.01
$2.66 ₡1,191
-79.70%
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)
$6.72 SAR 25.22
$5.18 ₡2,321
29.73%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 SAR 4.08
$1.12 ₡504
-2.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.36 SAR 140
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-48.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.62 SAR 9.84
$2.14 ₡958
22.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 SAR 7.07
$1.57 ₡703
19.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.31 SAR 49.96
$8.52 ₡3,823
56.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.60 SAR 2.26
$1.52 ₡682
-60.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.8K SAR 168.1K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
107.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K SAR 79.4K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-38.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 SAR 393
$96.3 ₡43.2K
8.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.57 SAR 122
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-9.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.0 SAR 248
$53.6 ₡24.0K
23.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$80.3 SAR 301
$71.6 ₡32.1K
12.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.30 SAR 49.89
$7.89 ₡3,539
68.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$417 SAR 1,565
$494 ₡221.6K
-15.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,055 SAR 30.2K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-32.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.19 SAR 162
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-19.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 SAR 208
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.4 SAR 366
$77.9 ₡34.9K
25.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.7 SAR 321
$79.6 ₡35.7K
7.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$573 SAR 2,150
$788 ₡353.4K
-27.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 SAR 1,417
$794 ₡356.2K
-52.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 SAR 3,081
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-79.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$566 SAR 2,123
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-60.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 SAR 8,868
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-65.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,366 SAR 5,125
$1,224 ₡549.0K
11.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sakakah
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$949 SAR 3,562
$864 ₡387.3K
9.93%
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 Sakakah: 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
Sakakah
$378
Nosara
$794 110% $417
Groceries & Markets
Sakakah
$203
Nosara
$352 73.3% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sakakah
$203
Nosara
$186 8.6% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Sakakah
$127
Nosara
$120 5.3% $6.7
Eating Out
Sakakah
$116
Nosara
$212 82% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Sakakah
$107
Nosara
$87 18.2% $19
Getting Around
Sakakah
$54
Nosara
$87 62% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $573 in Sakakah 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 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 $37.00 in Sakakah versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $352 – making Sakakah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Sakakah
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
07:57 7:57 AM
22:57 10:57 PM
9 h behind Sakakah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
242,813
4,912
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sakakah Nosara 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sakakah
  • 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
Sakakah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sakakah and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,188 in Sakakah, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Sakakah compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,782 per month in Sakakah and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Sakakah and Nosara?
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.
How do commuting costs compare in Sakakah and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 94% less in Sakakah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Sakakah and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $417 per month in Sakakah and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Sakakah and Nosara?
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.
Is Sakakah or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Sakakah and Nosara?
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.

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