Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seef and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Seef: $1,642 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Seef
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Seef Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Seef

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,642

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,642 per month in Seef vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Seef $1,642
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Seef vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Seef $2,604
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,566 per month in Seef vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Seef $3,566
Nosara $3,712

Seef is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seef and Nosara sit above the global median – Seef by 23%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 BHD 3.01

$12.22 ₡5,509

-34.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 BHD 19.70

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-13.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 BHD 3.03

$7.54 ₡3,399

6.37%

Cappuccino

$5.23 BHD 1.98

$4.31 ₡1,941

21.35%

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

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$1.72 ₡773

-9.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BHD 0.31

$1.35 ₡608

-38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.57 BHD 3.99

$3.24 ₡1,459

226.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$18.91 BHD 7.14

$4.48 ₡2,018

322.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$1.57 ₡707

41.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 BHD 0.49

$3.17 ₡1,429

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 BHD 1.17

$2.42 ₡1,091

27.69%

Eggs

$1.49 BHD 0.56

$3.57 ₡1,609

-58.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 BHD 4.07

$7.43 ₡3,349

45.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 BHD 2.28

$10.42 ₡4,697

-41.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.62 BHD 5.90

$13.66 ₡6,156

14.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 BHD 1.22

$2.32 ₡1,044

39.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 BHD 0.80

$1.61 ₡728

31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 BHD 0.95

$4.74 ₡2,138

-47.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 BHD 0.71

$1.66 ₡747

13.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BHD 0.39

$3.57 ₡1,611

-70.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 BHD 0.72

$1.10 ₡497

73.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 BHD 0.14

$2.55 ₡1,149

-85.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 BHD 1.47

$4.95 ₡2,232

-21.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 BHD 1.41

$2.79 ₡1,256

34.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 BHD 1.01

$3.53 ₡1,589

-24.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 BHD 0.24

$1.19 ₡537

-45.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 BHD 25.04

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-7.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 BHD 1.36

$2.24 ₡1,011

60.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BHD 1.26

$1.55 ₡701

114.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 BHD 2.39

$8.86 ₡3,993

-28.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 BHD 0.23

$1.57 ₡708

-61.15%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$97.0 BHD 36.60

$93.5 ₡42.1K

3.78%

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

$27.33 BHD 10.32

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-22.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.84 BHD 17.30

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-10.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.4 BHD 27.70

$71.4 ₡32.2K

2.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.53 BHD 3.97

$7.84 ₡3,535

34.31%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,977 BHD 3,011

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-32.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BHD 25.95

$53.5 ₡24.1K

28.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 BHD 20.31

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-3.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 BHD 34.34

$79.3 ₡35.7K

14.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 BHD 29.48

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 BHD 348

$786 ₡354.3K

17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 BHD 261

$780 ₡351.6K

-11.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 BHD 794

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-45.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 BHD 537

$1,407 ₡634.4K

1.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,424 BHD 1,292

$876 ₡395.0K

290.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Seef: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seef

$691 41.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 12.8% $89

Eating Out

Seef

$251 15%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 16.5% $41

Groceries & Markets

Seef

$250 * 14.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 40% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seef

$170 10.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 5.8% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Seef

$131 7.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 8.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seef

$94 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.8% $7.4

Getting Around

Seef

$89 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.6% $2.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $921 in Seef 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 291% higher in Seef, 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 $52.0 in Seef versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $350 – making Seef the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Seef

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

22:54 10:54 PM

9 h behind Seef

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,564

4,912

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 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 BHD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seef Nosara 13,800 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Seef
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

Seef vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,642 in Seef, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,463 per month in Seef 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 Seef, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Seef. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Seef, where all-in costs run around $1,642, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Seef it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seef has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,642 in Seef 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 Seef. 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.