Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,454 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,454

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Jacksonville, NC $2,454
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,505 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Jacksonville, NC $3,505
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,555 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Jacksonville, NC $4,555
Nosara $3,818

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 33% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jacksonville, NC 82% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.47 $15.47

$12.35 ₡5,539

25.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.25%

Cappuccino

$4.70 $4.70

$4.41 ₡1,978

6.58%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.74 ₡780

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.31 ₡587

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.28 ₡1,471

55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$4.47 ₡2,004

52.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.02 ₡1,355

42.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$2.51 ₡1,125

340.64%

Eggs

$5.89 $5.89

$3.57 ₡1,603

64.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.43 $19.43

$7.43 ₡3,333

161.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$10.52 ₡4,717

62.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.81 $23.81

$13.97 ₡6,265

70.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.35 ₡1,052

142.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.61 ₡720

9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 $8.30

$4.80 ₡2,152

72.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.61 ₡724

268.32%

Potato (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.80 ₡1,703

85.53%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

8.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.13 ₡507

146.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.18 ₡2,321

55.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.63 ₡1,626

6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.14 ₡958

17.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.52 ₡682

-44.08%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

63.17%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.17%

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

$172 $172

$96.3 ₡43.2K

78.78%

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

$75.7 $75.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

110.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

29.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 $37.21

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-48.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.64 $1.64

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-95.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 $13.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

65.27%

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

$719 $719

$494 ₡221.6K

45.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

9.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 $39.93

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$77.9 ₡34.9K

30.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$79.6 ₡35.7K

70.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 $1,328

$788 ₡353.4K

68.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$794 ₡356.2K

38.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,923 $1,923

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-51.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 $1,590

$1,419 ₡636.5K

12.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 $1,910

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,745 $6,745

$1,224 ₡549.0K

451.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,207 $2,207

$864 ₡387.3K

155.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

8.62

-26.10%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 44.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 27.9% $308

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$550 22.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 35.9% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$317 12.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.5% $132

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$267 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$152 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$63 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38% $24

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$2.5 * 0.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3357% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,328 in Jacksonville, NC and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays 156% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Jacksonville, NC vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $550 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

2 h behind Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

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 →

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Between locations

Jacksonville, NC Nosara 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Jacksonville, NC and Nosara differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 156% higher in Jacksonville, NC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,328 in Jacksonville, NC versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $719 in Jacksonville, NC versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $59.0 in Jacksonville, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,454 in Jacksonville, NC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Jacksonville, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Jacksonville, NC and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.