Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
Learn more

Alexandria Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,044 in Alexandria versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Alexandria $1,044
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,704 in Alexandria versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Alexandria $1,704
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,364 in Alexandria versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Alexandria $2,364
Nosara $3,712

Living in Alexandria costs roughly 43% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandria is 22% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.61 JMD 2,466

$12.22 ₡5,509

27.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

27.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 JMD 1,381

$7.54 ₡3,399

16.05%

Cappuccino

$5.28 JMD 834

$4.31 ₡1,941

22.51%

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

$1.16 JMD 184

$1.72 ₡773

-32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 107

$1.35 ₡608

-49.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 JMD 359

$3.24 ₡1,459

-29.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 508

$4.48 ₡2,018

-28.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.09 JMD 646

$1.57 ₡707

160.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 610

$3.17 ₡1,429

21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 250

$2.42 ₡1,091

-34.30%

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 557

$3.57 ₡1,609

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 JMD 1,826

$7.43 ₡3,349

55.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 JMD 1,009

$10.42 ₡4,697

-38.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,626

$13.66 ₡6,156

-24.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 JMD 983

$2.32 ₡1,044

168.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 621

$1.61 ₡728

144.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.47 JMD 1,180

$4.74 ₡2,138

57.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 475

$1.66 ₡747

81.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 JMD 525

$3.72 ₡1,679

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 JMD 409

$3.57 ₡1,611

-27.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 JMD 492

$1.10 ₡497

183.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 JMD 232

$2.55 ₡1,149

-42.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 JMD 1,538

$4.95 ₡2,232

96.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.57 JMD 1,827

$20.01 ₡9,020

-42.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 JMD 458

$2.79 ₡1,256

3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 JMD 643

$3.53 ₡1,589

15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 JMD 185

$2.24 ₡1,011

-47.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 JMD 494

$1.55 ₡701

101.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 JMD 1,013

$8.86 ₡3,993

-27.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.57 ₡708

-9.55%

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

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

105.93%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-4.93%

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

$174 JMD 27.5K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

86.43%

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

$30.04 JMD 4,744

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-14.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,365

$51.5 ₡23.2K

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 JMD 2,074

$7.84 ₡3,535

67.60%

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

$359 JMD 56.7K

$490 ₡220.7K

-26.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-30.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.28 JMD 3,676

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-56.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 JMD 4,974

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-43.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

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)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

8.62

9.63%

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$388 37.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 10% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$257 24.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 30% $77

Eating Out

Alexandria

$240 23.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 12.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$105 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 232% $61

Getting Around

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 416% $70

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $77.0 in Alexandria vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h behind Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,927

4,912

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alexandria Nosara 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria
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

Alexandria vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria and Nosara differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,044 vs $1,837 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,567 in Alexandria and $2,756 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $359 in Alexandria versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Alexandria and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.