Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Salalah: $1,059 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,059

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,059 per month in Salalah vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Salalah $1,059
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,599 per month in Salalah vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Salalah $1,599
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,138 per month in Salalah vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Salalah $2,138
Nosara $3,712

Salalah is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Salalah sits 21% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 OMR 2.05

$12.22 ₡5,509

-56.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.43 OMR 10.17

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-56.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.97 OMR 4.99

$7.54 ₡3,399

72.02%

Cappuccino

$6.09 OMR 2.34

$4.31 ₡1,941

41.30%

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

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$1.72 ₡773

-47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 OMR 0.10

$1.35 ₡608

-81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.33 OMR 3.59

$3.24 ₡1,459

187.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.30 OMR 3.96

$4.48 ₡2,018

129.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 OMR 0.74

$1.57 ₡707

22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$3.17 ₡1,429

-61.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 OMR 1.03

$2.42 ₡1,091

9.92%

Eggs

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$3.57 ₡1,609

-49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.58 OMR 1.76

$7.43 ₡3,349

-38.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 OMR 1.78

$10.42 ₡4,697

-55.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 OMR 2.55

$13.66 ₡6,156

-51.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 OMR 0.74

$2.32 ₡1,044

-17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.61 ₡728

16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 OMR 0.82

$4.74 ₡2,138

-55.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.66 ₡747

12.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 OMR 0.59

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 OMR 0.40

$3.57 ₡1,611

-71.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 OMR 0.40

$1.10 ₡497

-5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 OMR 0.18

$2.55 ₡1,149

-81.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 OMR 2.25

$4.95 ₡2,232

17.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 OMR 7.60

$20.01 ₡9,020

-1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 OMR 1.47

$2.79 ₡1,256

36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 OMR 1.83

$3.53 ₡1,589

34.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.19 ₡537

10.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 OMR 21.27

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-23.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$2.24 ₡1,011

3.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.55 ₡701

-14.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.49 OMR 4.42

$8.86 ₡3,993

29.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 OMR 0.23

$1.57 ₡708

-61.15%

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

$20.8K OMR 8,004

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-4.65%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,048

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-47.15%

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

$78.1 OMR 30.07

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-16.42%

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

$49.55 OMR 19.08

$35.11 ₡15.8K

41.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 OMR 28.59

$51.5 ₡23.2K

44.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.58 OMR 15.24

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-44.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 OMR 10.10

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-26.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 OMR 3.01

$7.84 ₡3,535

-0.38%

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

$106 OMR 40.78

$490 ₡220.7K

-78.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,942 OMR 747

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-83.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.74 OMR 11.06

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-46.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 OMR 11.84

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-44.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 OMR 22.23

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-27.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.20 OMR 17.79

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-41.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 OMR 96.5

$786 ₡354.3K

-68.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

$780 ₡351.6K

-73.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 OMR 247

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-83.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 OMR 147

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-72.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,981 OMR 763

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-71.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,240 OMR 477

$1,201 ₡541.3K

3.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,771 OMR 682

$876 ₡395.0K

102.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

8.62

-46.87%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$229 21.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 52.4% $120

Eating Out

Salalah

$226 21.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 7.5% $17

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 280% $575

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$202 19%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 10.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$74 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 63.6% $47

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$55 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 57.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Salalah 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 102% higher in Salalah, 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 $26.00 in Salalah versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $350 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

01:23 1:23 AM

10 h behind Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

4,912

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 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 OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salalah Nosara 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
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

Salalah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,059 in Salalah, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,589 per month in Salalah 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 Salalah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Salalah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $106 per month in Salalah and $490 in Nosara. 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 Salalah, where all-in costs run around $1,059, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Salalah 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 $1,059 in Salalah 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 Salalah. 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.