Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wadi Musa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Wadi Musa: $1,014 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Wadi Musa
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Wadi Musa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Wadi Musa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,014

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,014 per month in Wadi Musa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,014
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Wadi Musa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,317
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,620 per month in Wadi Musa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,620
Nosara $3,818

Wadi Musa is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wadi Musa sits 25% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.21 JOD 5.10

$12.35 ₡5,539

-41.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.01 JOD 24.79

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-42.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 JOD 4.96

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.78%

Cappuccino

$2.85 JOD 2.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

-35.37%

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

$0.47 JOD 0.34

$1.74 ₡780

-72.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$1.31 ₡587

-66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 JOD 6.03

$3.28 ₡1,471

159.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.98 JOD 7.77

$4.47 ₡2,004

145.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 JOD 0.47

$3.02 ₡1,355

-77.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$2.51 ₡1,125

-45.02%

Eggs

$2.39 JOD 1.69

$3.57 ₡1,603

-33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 JOD 6.71

$7.43 ₡3,333

27.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 JOD 3.98

$10.52 ₡4,717

-46.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 JOD 8.03

$13.97 ₡6,265

-18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$2.35 ₡1,052

-39.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.61 ₡720

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 JOD 0.50

$1.61 ₡724

-56.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 JOD 0.49

$3.80 ₡1,703

-81.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$3.69 ₡1,657

-81.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 JOD 0.43

$1.13 ₡507

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 JOD 0.29

$2.66 ₡1,191

-84.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 JOD 2.55

$5.18 ₡2,321

-30.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.55 JOD 15.26

$19.88 ₡8,916

8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.02 JOD 3.55

$2.90 ₡1,300

73.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 JOD 3.56

$3.63 ₡1,626

38.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 JOD 0.45

$2.14 ₡958

-70.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 JOD 0.99

$1.57 ₡703

-10.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 JOD 4.97

$8.52 ₡3,823

-17.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 JOD 0.79

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$34.9K JOD 24.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

61.70%

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

$35.1K JOD 24.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

1.77%

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

$70.1 JOD 49.66

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-27.16%

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

$4.26 JOD 3.02

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.25 JOD 10.09

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-73.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.70 JOD 25.27

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-50.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 JOD 7.91

$7.89 ₡3,539

41.70%

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

$486 JOD 344

$494 ₡221.6K

-1.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,551 JOD 6,762

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-19.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 JOD 45.63

$53.9 ₡24.2K

19.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.4 JOD 57.7

$55.4 ₡24.8K

46.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 JOD 87.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

58.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 JOD 60.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

7.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 JOD 250

$788 ₡353.4K

-55.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 JOD 197

$794 ₡356.2K

-64.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 JOD 354

$864 ₡387.3K

-42.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.62

-21.00%

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

Last update for Wadi Musa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wadi Musa

$278 27.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 185% $516

Groceries & Markets

Wadi Musa

$241 23.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 46.5% $112

Eating Out

Wadi Musa

$181 17.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Wadi Musa

$160 15.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wadi Musa

$89 8.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 110% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Wadi Musa

$58 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 50.5% $29

Getting Around

Wadi Musa

$7.6 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1042% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $353 in Wadi Musa 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 73% 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 $35.00 in Wadi Musa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $352 – making Wadi Musa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Wadi Musa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:38 9:38 PM

12:38 12:38 PM

9 h behind Wadi Musa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wadi Musa Nosara 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Wadi Musa
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

Wadi Musa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,014 in Wadi Musa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,521 per month in Wadi Musa 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 Wadi Musa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Wadi Musa and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Wadi Musa, where all-in costs run around $1,014, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Wadi Musa 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 $1,014 in Wadi Musa 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 Wadi Musa. 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.