Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taif and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,239 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,239

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,239 per month in Taif vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Taif $1,239
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,827 per month in Taif vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Taif $1,827
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,416 per month in Taif vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Taif $2,416
Nosara $3,818

Taif is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taif sits 8% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.28 SAR 19.82

$12.35 ₡5,539

-57.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 SAR 140

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-38.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 SAR 27.41

$7.52 ₡3,373

-2.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$2.23 SAR 8.37

$4.41 ₡1,978

-49.43%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.64

$1.74 ₡780

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 SAR 0.64

$1.31 ₡587

-87.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.56 ₡701

12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 SAR 0.97

$3.02 ₡1,355

-91.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$2.51 ₡1,125

-6.77%

Eggs

$2.74 SAR 10.26

$3.57 ₡1,603

-23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 SAR 22.40

$7.43 ₡3,333

-19.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 SAR 26.68

$10.52 ₡4,717

-32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 SAR 35.50

$13.97 ₡6,265

-32.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 SAR 8.94

$2.35 ₡1,052

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.61 ₡720

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 SAR 6.90

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$1.61 ₡724

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.92

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$3.69 ₡1,657

-61.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$1.13 ₡507

-16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 SAR 3.07

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.20 SAR 11.99

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SAR 5.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 SAR 7.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.36 SAR 27.63

$5.18 ₡2,321

42.08%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$1.12 ₡504

-4.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.19 SAR 136

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-50.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 SAR 4.86

$2.14 ₡958

-39.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SAR 7.68

$1.57 ₡703

30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.42 SAR 35.34

$8.52 ₡3,823

10.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$1.52 ₡682

-60.53%

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

$44.6K SAR 167.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

106.33%

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

$20.8K SAR 78.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-39.70%

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

$138 SAR 519

$96.3 ₡43.2K

43.51%

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

$28.04 SAR 105

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-21.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 SAR 253

$53.6 ₡24.0K

25.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$145 SAR 543

$71.6 ₡32.1K

102.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.23 SAR 49.64

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-62.10%

Cinema Ticket

$19.68 SAR 73.9

$7.89 ₡3,539

149.43%

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

$185 SAR 693

$494 ₡221.6K

-62.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,342 SAR 12.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-71.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.10 SAR 158

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-21.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 SAR 208

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 SAR 358

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 SAR 324

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,187

$788 ₡353.4K

-26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 SAR 1,380

$794 ₡356.2K

-53.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 SAR 3,012

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 SAR 2,124

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-60.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,395 SAR 8,986

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-65.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,368 SAR 5,132

$1,224 ₡549.0K

11.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,567 SAR 5,880

$864 ₡387.3K

81.46%

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 Taif: 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

Taif

$368 29.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 116% $426

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taif

$234 18.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 20.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Taif

$184 14.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 52.5% $97

Groceries & Markets

Taif

$181 14.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 94.3% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Taif

$126 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 4.5% $5.6

Eating Out

Taif

$94 7.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 124% $117

Getting Around

Taif

$52 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 67.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Taif 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 81% higher in Taif, 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 Taif versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $352 – making Taif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Taif

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

18:50 6:50 PM

9 h behind Taif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,970

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 = 2.23 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 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).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taif Nosara 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Taif
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

Taif vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,239 in Taif, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,859 per month in Taif and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taif, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 101% less in Taif. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $185 per month in Taif and $494 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 Taif, where all-in costs run around $1,239, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Taif 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 $1,239 in Taif to $1,839 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 Taif. 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.