Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jackson, MS and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,445 in Jackson, MS, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Jackson, MS
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Jackson, MS Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Jackson, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Jackson, MS vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Jackson, MS $2,445
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,524 per month in Jackson, MS vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Jackson, MS $3,524
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,603 per month in Jackson, MS vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Jackson, MS $4,603
Nosara $3,818

Jackson, MS costs about 33% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Jackson, MS and Nosara sit above the global median – Jackson, MS by 81%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 $17.22

$12.35 ₡5,539

39.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-1.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 $9.29

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.54%

Cappuccino

$4.12 $4.12

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.58%

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

$1.64 $1.64

$1.74 ₡780

-5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.31 ₡587

25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.28 ₡1,471

25.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.47 ₡2,004

-9.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.56 ₡701

-37.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.02 ₡1,355

1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.51 ₡1,125

65.74%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$3.57 ₡1,603

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 $8.11

$7.43 ₡3,333

9.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

6.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$13.97 ₡6,265

-49.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.35 ₡1,052

134.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.61 ₡720

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$4.80 ₡2,152

-69.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.61 ₡724

198.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.80 ₡1,703

-15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.69 ₡1,657

-47.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.13 ₡507

34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.66 ₡1,191

-18.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.70 $7.70

$5.18 ₡2,321

48.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.16 $13.16

$19.88 ₡8,916

-33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$3.63 ₡1,626

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.12 ₡504

266.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 $123

$72.6 ₡32.6K

69.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.14 ₡958

-6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.57 ₡703

-14.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.04 $19.04

$8.52 ₡3,823

123.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 ₡682

-34.87%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.23%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.99%

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

$184 $184

$96.3 ₡43.2K

90.65%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

92.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

38.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 $64.3

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-10.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 $16.27

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-53.39%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 $12.94

$7.89 ₡3,539

64.01%

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

$599 $599

$494 ₡221.6K

21.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K $25.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

111.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.45 $47.45

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-12.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 $22.91

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-58.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 $83.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$79.6 ₡35.7K

46.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 $955

$788 ₡353.4K

21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 $1,179

$794 ₡356.2K

48.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 $2,258

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-42.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,885 $1,885

$1,419 ₡636.5K

32.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,568 $1,568

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-77.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,571 $1,571

$1,224 ₡549.0K

28.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,764 $2,764

$864 ₡387.3K

220.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

8.62

-28.31%

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

Last update for Jackson, MS: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jackson, MS

$1.2K 48.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.6% $385

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jackson, MS

$327 13.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 43.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Jackson, MS

$322 13.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.5% $31

Eating Out

Jackson, MS

$257 10.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17.5% $45

Getting Around

Jackson, MS

$148 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 41.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Jackson, MS

$122 5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Jackson, MS

$90 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $955 in Jackson, MS versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 220% higher in Jackson, MS, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Jackson, MS versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $352 – making Jackson, MS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jackson, MS

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

07:58 7:58 AM

1 h behind Jackson, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,701

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jackson, MS Nosara 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jackson, MS
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

Jackson, MS vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jackson, MS costs about 33% more than Nosara, 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 $3,667 per month in Jackson, MS and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $599 per month in Jackson, MS and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Jackson, MS – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Jackson, MS at $2,445. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jackson, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,445 in Jackson, MS. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jackson, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.