Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barreiro and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,652 in Barreiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barreiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Barreiro
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Barreiro Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index

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Barreiro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,652

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barreiro and in Jaco Beach

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barreiro and in Jaco Beach actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,652 per month in Barreiro vs $1,445 in Jaco Beach, rent included.

Barreiro $1,652
Jaco Beach $1,445

A couple spends around $2,342 per month in Barreiro vs $2,296 in Jaco Beach, rent included.

Barreiro $2,342
Jaco Beach $2,296

A family of three spends $3,032 per month in Barreiro vs $3,147 in Jaco Beach, rent included.

Barreiro $3,032
Jaco Beach $3,147

Barreiro costs about 14% more than Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Barreiro and Jaco Beach sit above the global median – Barreiro by 21%, Jaco Beach by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.64 €14.05

$11.32 ₡5,106

38.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.05 €39.57

$43.14 ₡19.5K

2.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 €8.61

$10.22 ₡4,612

-6.16%

Cappuccino

$2.57 €2.31

$3.99 ₡1,799

-35.59%

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

$2.04 €1.83

$2.40 ₡1,085

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.87 ₡844

17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.04

$3.19 ₡1,441

6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.95

$4.33 ₡1,954

-24.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.93

$1.98 ₡892

-47.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.19 ₡989

-30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.47

$2.39 ₡1,078

-31.80%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.96

$2.60 ₡1,175

26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 €7.84

$10.78 ₡4,865

-19.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.17

$8.88 ₡4,008

-10.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.81 €13.31

$12.11 ₡5,466

22.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.45

$4.95 ₡2,233

-44.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.66 ₡748

-24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$4.75 ₡2,141

-58.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 €1.30

$3.42 ₡1,544

-57.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.50 ₡676

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.42 ₡641

19.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.49

$0.99 ₡447

67.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$1.99 ₡900

-66.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 €5.24

$6.01 ₡2,711

-3.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.00 €5.39

$13.81 ₡6,231

-56.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$2.64 ₡1,192

-53.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.95

$2.18 ₡985

-51.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 €1.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.57 €40.93

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.49 ₡1,125

-7.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.63 ₡735

-52.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €15.08

$8.53 ₡3,848

96.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.57 ₡707

37.58%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-1.96%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-12.24%

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

$110 €98.9

$79.6 ₡35.9K

38.40%

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

$21.24 €19.08

$23.88 ₡10.8K

-11.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.43 €31.82

$47.69 ₡21.5K

-25.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.64 €32.91

$52.0 ₡23.4K

-29.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.45 €12.09

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 €7.96

$7.72 ₡3,483

14.77%

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

$624 €560

$479 ₡216.3K

30.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$7,442 ₡3.4M

50.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 €69.3

$25.50 ₡11.5K

202.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.18 €33.39

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-33.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €75.1

$127 ₡57.3K

-34.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €94.5

$133 ₡59.8K

-20.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 €846

$748 ₡337.6K

25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 €698

$526 ₡237.2K

47.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 €1,326

$1,984 ₡895.4K

-25.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 €958

$1,099 ₡495.8K

-2.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,883 €3,488

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,788 €2,505

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$917 €823

$402 ₡181.3K

128.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

8.62

-57.42%

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

Last update for Barreiro: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barreiro

$777 47%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 32.4% $252

Groceries & Markets

Barreiro

$235 14.2%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 38.6% $91

Eating Out

Barreiro

$225 13.6%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 6.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barreiro

$167 10.1%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 9.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Barreiro

$136 8.3%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 12.6% $17

Getting Around

Barreiro

$57 3.5%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 81.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Barreiro

$54 3.3%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 24% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Barreiro versus $748 in Jaco Beach. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Barreiro are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Barreiro versus $43 in Jaco Beach. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Barreiro vs $326 in Jaco Beach – so Barreiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barreiro

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

6 h behind Barreiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,359

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barreiro Jaco Beach 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barreiro
Jaco Beach

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

Barreiro vs Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,652 in Barreiro, $1,445 in Jaco Beach – Jaco Beach comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,479 per month in Barreiro and $2,167 in Jaco Beach. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jaco Beach, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $748 there versus $942 in Barreiro.

Kindergarten costs $624 per month in Barreiro and $479 in Jaco Beach. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,652 in Barreiro and $1,445 in Jaco Beach. That makes Jaco Beach about 13% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Jaco Beach – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Jaco Beach. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barreiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.