Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,040 per month in Sanaa vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Sanaa $1,040
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,608 per month in Sanaa vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Sanaa $1,608
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,175 per month in Sanaa vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Sanaa $2,175
Nosara $3,712

Sanaa is about 43% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sanaa sits 22% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 YER 1,524

$12.22 ₡5,509

-47.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.31 YER 5,969

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-57.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 YER 2,300

$7.54 ₡3,399

29.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 YER 462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 611

Cappuccino

$3.82 YER 900

$4.31 ₡1,941

-11.37%

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

$1.17 YER 277

$1.72 ₡773

-31.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 YER 141

$1.35 ₡608

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 YER 468

$1.57 ₡707

26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 YER 387

$3.17 ₡1,429

-48.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 YER 492

$2.42 ₡1,091

-13.64%

Eggs

$3.57 YER 842

$3.57 ₡1,609

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.52 YER 4,131

$7.43 ₡3,349

135.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 YER 1,984

$10.42 ₡4,697

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 YER 4,504

$13.66 ₡6,156

39.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 YER 802

$2.32 ₡1,044

46.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.61 ₡728

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 YER 521

$4.74 ₡2,138

-53.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 YER 393

$1.66 ₡747

0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 YER 326

$3.57 ₡1,611

-61.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 284

$1.10 ₡497

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 YER 160

$2.55 ₡1,149

-73.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 584

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 423

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 YER 602

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.66 YER 1,336

$4.95 ₡2,232

14.34%

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)

$0.43 YER 102

$1.19 ₡537

-63.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 YER 20.4K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

19.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 YER 988

$2.24 ₡1,011

87.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 YER 494

$1.55 ₡701

35.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 YER 1,704

$8.86 ₡3,993

-18.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 YER 486

$1.57 ₡708

31.21%

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

$16.9K YER 4.0M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-22.51%

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

$34.6K YER 8.2M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-0.12%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

16.32%

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

$23.35 YER 5,506

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-33.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 YER 24.0K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

97.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.1 YER 15.8K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-6.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 YER 3,779

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-54.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 YER 1,407

$7.84 ₡3,535

-23.85%

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

$118 YER 27.7K

$490 ₡220.7K

-75.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,130 YER 502.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-82.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.48 YER 10.0K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-20.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 YER 28.5K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

116.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.63 YER 11.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-39.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.69 YER 9,594

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-48.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 YER 52.4K

$786 ₡354.3K

-71.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.7 YER 22.3K

$780 ₡351.6K

-87.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.2K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-89.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 YER 65.0K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-80.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,240 YER 999.9K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-39.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 YER 194.6K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-31.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$197 YER 46.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

-77.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

8.62

30.51%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$272 26.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 28.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$234 22.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 23% $54

Eating Out

Sanaa

$134 13%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 56.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$113 11%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 6.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Sanaa

$103 10%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.4% $16

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$95 9.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 723% $685

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Sanaa 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 346% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Sanaa versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $350 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

21:22 9:22 PM

9 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 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 YER in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sanaa Nosara 13,820 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
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

Sanaa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,040 in Sanaa, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,560 per month in Sanaa 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 Sanaa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Sanaa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $118 per month in Sanaa 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 Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,040, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sanaa 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 $1,040 in Sanaa 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 Sanaa. 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.