Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Jaco Beach versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Jaco Beach $1,445
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,296 in Jaco Beach versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Jaco Beach $2,296
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,147 in Jaco Beach versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Jaco Beach $3,147
Nosara $3,820

Living in Jaco Beach costs roughly 22% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jaco Beach 6% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 ₡5,106

$12.36 ₡5,575

-8.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 ₡19.5K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-29.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 ₡4,612

$7.88 ₡3,557

29.70%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₡1,799

$4.40 ₡1,986

-9.32%

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

$2.40 ₡1,085

$1.72 ₡776

39.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡844

$1.34 ₡603

39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,441

$3.34 ₡1,505

-4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,954

$4.54 ₡2,048

-4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡892

$1.64 ₡739

20.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ₡989

$3.16 ₡1,426

-30.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$2.39 ₡1,080

Eggs

$2.60 ₡1,175

$3.47 ₡1,564

-25.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,865

$7.13 ₡3,217

51.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 ₡4,008

$10.32 ₡4,655

-13.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ₡5,466

$13.97 ₡6,302

-13.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ₡2,233

$2.29 ₡1,031

116.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡748

$1.62 ₡731

2.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,141

$4.81 ₡2,169

-1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,544

$1.68 ₡758

103.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ₡676

$3.91 ₡1,765

-61.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡641

$3.63 ₡1,640

-60.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$1.13 ₡509

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡900

$2.63 ₡1,188

-24.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,711

$5.02 ₡2,267

19.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 ₡6,231

$19.71 ₡8,893

-29.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$2.91 ₡1,314

-9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$3.54 ₡1,597

-38.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,125

$2.15 ₡969

15.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.63 ₡738

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 ₡3,848

$8.77 ₡3,958

-2.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.55 ₡700

1.29%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

0.02%

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

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

10.77%

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

$79.6 ₡35.9K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-16.45%

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

$23.88 ₡10.8K

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-34.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-8.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₡23.4K

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-23.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,483

$7.54 ₡3,404

2.39%

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

$479 ₡216.3K

$496 ₡224.0K

-3.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,442 ₡3.4M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-36.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.50 ₡11.5K

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-53.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.4K

$56.1 ₡25.3K

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

63.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.8K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

67.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₡337.6K

$817 ₡368.9K

-8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₡237.2K

$806 ₡363.6K

-34.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡895.4K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-50.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 ₡495.8K

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-23.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 ₡181.3K

$888 ₡400.7K

-54.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 53.3% $280

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6%

Nosara

$351 19% 7.8% $25

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 1.2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 21.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 21.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 22.7% $15

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 736% $78

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 $748 in Jaco Beach and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Jaco Beach vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $351 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

Same time as Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Jaco Beach Nosara 120 km

From you

Jaco Beach
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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

Jaco Beach vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and utilities. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Jaco Beach. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $748 in Jaco Beach versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $479 in Jaco Beach versus $496 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $61 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jaco Beach is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Jaco Beach 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.

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, Nosara on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.