Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Mandeville

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,534 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
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Mandeville Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,534

/mo nomad

Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guanacaste and in Mandeville

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

A single person spends $1,534 per month in Guanacaste vs $810 in Mandeville, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,534
Mandeville $810

A couple spends around $2,421 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,395 in Mandeville, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,421
Mandeville $1,395

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,980 in Mandeville, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,307
Mandeville $1,980

Guanacaste costs about 89% more than Mandeville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guanacaste sits 13% above the global median, while Mandeville is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 ₡4,860

$6.47 JMD 1,021

66.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

-35.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,270

$8.04 JMD 1,268

45.27%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡2,003

$2.24 JMD 353

98.21%

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

$2.70 ₡1,220

$1.12 JMD 176

141.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡871

$0.68 JMD 108

183.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$2.18 JMD 344

42.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,019

$2.85 JMD 450

56.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡921

$4.25 JMD 670

-52.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,439

$1.77 JMD 279

80.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.56 JMD 246

55.13%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,618

$3.63 JMD 572

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 ₡2,542

$11.61 JMD 1,830

-51.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₡1,942

$6.23 JMD 983

-30.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ₡5,005

$10.22 JMD 1,612

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,210

$5.99 JMD 944

-55.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡708

$3.84 JMD 605

-59.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 ₡1,988

$7.15 JMD 1,127

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ₡689

$3.07 JMD 484

-50.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,744

$3.27 JMD 515

18.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,017

$2.62 JMD 413

-14.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₡406

$3.15 JMD 497

-71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$1.49 JMD 235

106.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ₡1,958

$9.64 JMD 1,520

-54.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.25 ₡9,140

$11.36 JMD 1,791

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,261

$2.94 JMD 463

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,202

$4.10 JMD 647

-35.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡584

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,128

$1.24 JMD 196

101.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$3.19 JMD 504

-50.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,996

$6.43 JMD 1,013

37.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.47 JMD 232

6.80%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-22.80%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

24.48%

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

$93.5 ₡42.2K

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

-1.60%

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

$36.18 ₡16.3K

$22.22 JMD 3,505

62.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.69 ₡14.7K

$50.9 JMD 8,033

-35.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,542

$13.28 JMD 2,095

-40.89%

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

$968 ₡436.8K

$365 JMD 57.6K

164.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₡7.9M

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

112.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

$23.80 JMD 3,753

179.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.53 ₡20.1K

$31.27 JMD 4,932

42.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 ₡39.1K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 ₡35.3K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 ₡358.9K

$467 JMD 73.6K

70.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡279.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 ₡856.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 ₡577.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.45

-8.78%

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

Last update for Guanacaste: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$620 40.4%

Mandeville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$312 20.4%

Mandeville

$366 45.1% 17% $53

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$217 14.2%

Mandeville

$127 15.6% 41.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$162 10.6%

Mandeville

$168 20.8% 3.6% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8.1%

Mandeville

$106 13.1% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$82 5.4%

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3% 67.7% $56

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$16 * 1%

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1% 11% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in Guanacaste versus $467 in Mandeville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Guanacaste versus $73 in Mandeville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $366 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

47,115

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Mandeville 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
Mandeville

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

Guanacaste vs Mandeville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guanacaste is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,301 per month in Guanacaste and $1,215 in Mandeville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mandeville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $467 there versus $795 in Guanacaste.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,534 in Guanacaste and $810 in Mandeville. That makes Mandeville about 47% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $968 per month in Guanacaste and $365 in Mandeville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandeville, where all-in costs run around $810, than in Guanacaste at $1,534. In Mandeville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guanacaste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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