Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,537 in Jacksonville, FL, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, FL
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Jacksonville, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Jacksonville, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,537

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,537 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $2,537
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,918 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $3,918
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,300 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $5,300
Nosara $3,712

Jacksonville, FL costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jacksonville, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Jacksonville, FL by 89%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 $20.12

$12.22 ₡5,509

64.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

64.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 $11.46

$7.54 ₡3,399

51.99%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$4.31 ₡1,941

25.29%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.72 ₡773

81.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.35 ₡608

68.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.24 ₡1,459

55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.48 ₡2,018

54.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.57 ₡707

-35.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.17 ₡1,429

3.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.42 ₡1,091

55.37%

Eggs

$4.40 $4.40

$3.57 ₡1,609

23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.25 $14.25

$7.43 ₡3,349

91.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$10.42 ₡4,697

-8.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 $15.79

$13.66 ₡6,156

15.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.32 ₡1,044

105.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.61 ₡728

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.74 ₡2,138

-18.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.66 ₡747

182.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.72 ₡1,679

-23.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.57 ₡1,611

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.10 ₡497

139.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.55 ₡1,149

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 $9.82

$4.95 ₡2,232

98.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 $14.55

$20.01 ₡9,020

-27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.79 ₡1,256

-23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.53 ₡1,589

-12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.19 ₡537

54.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.2 $62.2

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-13.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.24 ₡1,011

-32.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.55 ₡701

-24.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.87 $13.87

$8.86 ₡3,993

56.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡708

-36.31%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.42%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.73%

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

$215 $215

$93.5 ₡42.1K

129.71%

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

$63.2 $63.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

79.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.85 $41.85

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 $6.57

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-81.46%

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$7.84 ₡3,535

93.62%

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

$1,332 $1,332

$490 ₡220.7K

172.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-0.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 $63.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

18.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 $47.56

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-14.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$79.3 ₡35.7K

40.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$78.9 ₡35.6K

93.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 $1,699

$786 ₡354.3K

116.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 $1,161

$780 ₡351.6K

48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,656 $2,656

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 $2,121

$1,407 ₡634.4K

50.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,409 $2,409

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-65.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,163 $2,163

$1,201 ₡541.3K

80.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,009 $4,009

$876 ₡395.0K

357.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, FL: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, FL

$1.2K 45.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 32.8% $381

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, FL

$385 15.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, FL

$346 13.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 47.9% $166

Eating Out

Jacksonville, FL

$321 12.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 34.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, FL

$169 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 28.7% $48

Getting Around

Jacksonville, FL

$77 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, FL

$72 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Jacksonville, FL versus $786 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 357% higher in Jacksonville, FL, 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 $99.0 in Jacksonville, FL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

00:32 12:32 AM

2 h behind Jacksonville, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Jacksonville, FL Nosara 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, FL
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

Jacksonville, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacksonville, FL costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,805 per month in Jacksonville, FL and $2,756 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Jacksonville, FL and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,537 in Jacksonville, FL and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 38%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Jacksonville, FL at $2,537. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jacksonville, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $2,537 in Jacksonville, FL. 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, Jacksonville, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.