Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gordon Town and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gordon Town: $1,002 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Gordon Town
Learn more

Gordon Town Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Gordon Town vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Gordon Town $1,002
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Gordon Town vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Gordon Town $1,657
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,311 per month in Gordon Town vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Gordon Town $2,311
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.39 JMD 2,116

$12.35 ₡5,539

8.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 JMD 1,269

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.78%

Cappuccino

$5.17 JMD 817

$4.41 ₡1,978

17.23%

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

$1.20 JMD 189

$1.74 ₡780

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$1.31 ₡587

-48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$4.47 ₡2,004

-28.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.24 JMD 670

$1.56 ₡701

171.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 JMD 588

$3.02 ₡1,355

23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.06%

Eggs

$3.45 JMD 545

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,790

$7.43 ₡3,333

52.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,001

$10.52 ₡4,717

-39.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 JMD 1,622

$13.97 ₡6,265

-26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 JMD 955

$2.35 ₡1,052

157.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.97 JMD 627

$1.61 ₡720

146.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.20 JMD 1,138

$4.80 ₡2,152

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 JMD 491

$1.61 ₡724

93.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 JMD 513

$3.80 ₡1,703

-14.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$3.69 ₡1,657

-26.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 490

$1.13 ₡507

174.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 238

$2.66 ₡1,191

-43.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.63 JMD 1,521

$5.18 ₡2,321

85.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 JMD 1,771

$19.88 ₡8,916

-43.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 452

$2.90 ₡1,300

-1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 JMD 643

$3.63 ₡1,626

12.12%

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)

$3.21 JMD 507

$1.57 ₡703

104.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 JMD 983

$8.52 ₡3,823

-27.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 230

$1.52 ₡682

-3.95%

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

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

102.59%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-4.60%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

75.83%

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

$29.50 JMD 4,660

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-17.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 JMD 8,148

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-3.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 JMD 2,047

$7.89 ₡3,539

64.26%

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

$366 JMD 57.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

-26.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,205 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-30.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.45 JMD 3,704

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.21 JMD 4,931

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

29.51%

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 Gordon Town: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gordon Town

$385 38.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gordon Town

$250 25%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 25.8% $65

Eating Out

Gordon Town

$218 21.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 2.9% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Gordon Town

$105 10.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 237% $61

Getting Around

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 406% $70

Accommodation & Living

Gordon Town

- * 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 $74.0 in Gordon Town versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

1 h behind Gordon Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,088

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

Gordon Town Nosara 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gordon Town
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

Gordon Town 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 $1,503 per month in Gordon Town 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 $74.0 in Gordon Town 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 9% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gordon Town, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Gordon Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Gordon Town. 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.