Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duncans and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,011 per month in Duncans vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Duncans $1,011
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $1,673 per month in Duncans vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Duncans $1,673
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,336 per month in Duncans vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Duncans $2,336
Nosara $3,820

Duncans is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Duncans sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.60 JMD 2,144

$12.36 ₡5,575

10.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 JMD 1,284

$7.88 ₡3,557

3.30%

Cappuccino

$5.44 JMD 858

$4.40 ₡1,986

23.64%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$1.72 ₡776

-33.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 111

$1.34 ₡603

-47.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 JMD 355

$3.34 ₡1,505

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$4.54 ₡2,048

-29.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.15 JMD 655

$1.64 ₡739

153.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 JMD 588

$3.16 ₡1,426

18.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 249

$2.39 ₡1,080

-33.89%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 565

$3.47 ₡1,564

3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 JMD 1,813

$7.13 ₡3,217

61.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 JMD 979

$10.32 ₡4,655

-39.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 JMD 1,631

$13.97 ₡6,302

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$6.01 JMD 947

$2.29 ₡1,031

162.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.97 JMD 625

$1.62 ₡731

145.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.54 JMD 1,190

$4.81 ₡2,169

56.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 JMD 476

$1.68 ₡758

79.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$3.91 ₡1,765

-15.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 411

$3.63 ₡1,640

-28.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$1.13 ₡509

166.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$2.63 ₡1,188

-45.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 JMD 1,494

$5.02 ₡2,267

88.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.25 JMD 1,775

$19.71 ₡8,893

-42.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$2.91 ₡1,314

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 625

$3.54 ₡1,597

11.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 200

$2.15 ₡969

-40.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 505

$1.63 ₡738

96.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.23 JMD 983

$8.77 ₡3,958

-28.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 JMD 228

$1.55 ₡700

-6.45%

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

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

30.09%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-16.43%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

79.92%

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

$29.64 JMD 4,674

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-18.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,166

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-0.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 JMD 2,115

$7.54 ₡3,404

77.85%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$496 ₡224.0K

-28.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-29.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.91 JMD 3,771

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-56.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.38 JMD 4,949

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-44.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

1.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 Duncans: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Duncans

$384 38%

Nosara

$351 19% 8.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duncans

$253 25%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 27.4% $69

Eating Out

Duncans

$224 22.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 4.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Duncans

$107 10.6%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 13% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Duncans

$27 * 2.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 208% $56

Getting Around

Duncans

$17 * 1.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 415% $72

Accommodation & Living

Duncans

- * 0%

Nosara

$806 43.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Duncans versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Duncans

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

10:18 10:18 AM

1 h behind Duncans

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,153

4,912

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

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 JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Duncans Nosara 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Duncans
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

Duncans vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,517 per month in Duncans and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,011 in Duncans and $1,846 in Nosara. That’s a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $355 per month in Duncans and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Duncans 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 $1,011 in Duncans to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.