Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Falmouth and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Falmouth: $1,000 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Falmouth
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Falmouth Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Falmouth

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,000

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,000 per month in Falmouth vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Falmouth $1,000
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,655 per month in Falmouth vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Falmouth $1,655
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Falmouth vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Falmouth $2,310
Nosara $3,818

Falmouth is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.26 JMD 2,095

$12.35 ₡5,539

7.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 JMD 12.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

23.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 JMD 1,262

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.25%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$4.41 ₡1,978

18.37%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.74 ₡780

-31.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$1.31 ₡587

-43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 JMD 339

$3.28 ₡1,471

-34.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 JMD 504

$4.47 ₡2,004

-28.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.06 JMD 642

$1.56 ₡701

160.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 JMD 580

$3.02 ₡1,355

21.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$2.51 ₡1,125

-34.66%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 570

$3.57 ₡1,603

1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 JMD 1,808

$7.43 ₡3,333

53.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 JMD 983

$10.52 ₡4,717

-40.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 JMD 1,595

$13.97 ₡6,265

-27.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$2.35 ₡1,052

158.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.98 JMD 629

$1.61 ₡720

147.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.24 JMD 1,144

$4.80 ₡2,152

50.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 470

$1.61 ₡724

84.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.80 ₡1,703

-15.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 424

$3.69 ₡1,657

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.14 JMD 496

$1.13 ₡507

177.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 228

$2.66 ₡1,191

-45.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.21 JMD 1,456

$5.18 ₡2,321

77.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.51 JMD 1,819

$19.88 ₡8,916

-42.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$2.90 ₡1,300

-3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 JMD 635

$3.63 ₡1,626

10.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 JMD 185

$2.14 ₡958

-45.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$1.57 ₡703

96.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 JMD 1,009

$8.52 ₡3,823

-25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 222

$1.52 ₡682

-7.24%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

99.56%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.09%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

75.69%

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

$29.47 JMD 4,656

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-17.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 JMD 8,453

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 JMD 2,121

$7.89 ₡3,539

70.22%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$494 ₡221.6K

-26.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,337 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.24 JMD 3,671

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.99 JMD 4,896

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-44.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 JMD 12.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 16.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

27.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Falmouth: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Falmouth

$382 38.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Falmouth

$252 25.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 26.3% $66

Eating Out

Falmouth

$218 21.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 2.6% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Falmouth

$104 10.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Falmouth

$27 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 225% $61

Getting Around

Falmouth

$17 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 424% $70

Accommodation & Living

Falmouth

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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 $76.0 in Falmouth versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Falmouth

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

1 h behind Falmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,779

4,912

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Falmouth Nosara 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Falmouth
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

Falmouth vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 84% more than Falmouth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,499 per month in Falmouth and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Falmouth and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Falmouth, where all-in costs run around $1,000, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Falmouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Falmouth costs $1,000 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Falmouth. 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.