Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jarabacoa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jarabacoa: $696 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Jarabacoa
Learn more

Jarabacoa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Jarabacoa

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$696

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $696 per month in Jarabacoa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Jarabacoa $696
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,148 per month in Jarabacoa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Jarabacoa $1,148
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,600 per month in Jarabacoa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Jarabacoa $1,600
Nosara $3,818

Jarabacoa is about 62% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jarabacoa sits 48% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 DOP 591

$12.35 ₡5,550

-21.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.28 DOP 3,010

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 DOP 459

$7.52 ₡3,379

-0.13%

Cappuccino

$2.24 DOP 137

$4.41 ₡1,982

-49.21%

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

$1.05 DOP 64.2

$1.74 ₡781

-39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 DOP 33.87

$1.31 ₡588

-58.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 DOP 153

$3.28 ₡1,474

-23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 DOP 197

$4.47 ₡2,008

-27.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 DOP 82.2

$1.56 ₡702

-13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 DOP 90.4

$3.02 ₡1,358

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 DOP 98.9

$2.51 ₡1,127

-35.46%

Eggs

$2.39 DOP 146

$3.57 ₡1,606

-33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 DOP 432

$7.43 ₡3,340

-4.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.64 DOP 345

$10.52 ₡4,727

-46.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 DOP 408

$13.97 ₡6,277

-52.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 DOP 196

$2.35 ₡1,054

36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 DOP 47.00

$1.61 ₡721

-52.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 DOP 167

$4.80 ₡2,156

-42.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 DOP 108

$1.61 ₡725

9.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 DOP 124

$3.80 ₡1,706

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 DOP 137

$3.69 ₡1,660

-39.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 DOP 60.7

$1.13 ₡508

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 DOP 57.0

$2.66 ₡1,193

-65.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 DOP 316

$5.18 ₡2,326

Wine (Bottle)

$10.28 DOP 628

$19.88 ₡8,934

-48.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 DOP 153

$2.90 ₡1,303

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 DOP 178

$3.63 ₡1,629

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 DOP 196

$2.14 ₡960

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 DOP 138

$1.57 ₡705

43.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.82 DOP 356

$8.52 ₡3,830

-31.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 DOP 86.9

$1.52 ₡683

-6.58%

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

$23.2K DOP 1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

7.35%

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

$33.6K DOP 2.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-2.69%

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

$91.9 DOP 5,614

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-4.54%

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

$30.89 DOP 1,886

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-13.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.01 DOP 2,199

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-32.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 DOP 459

$7.89 ₡3,546

-4.69%

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

$251 DOP 15.3K

$494 ₡222.0K

-49.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,351 DOP 448.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-38.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.18 DOP 2,820

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.17 DOP 2,880

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 DOP 5,187

$77.9 ₡35.0K

9.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 DOP 7,592

$79.6 ₡35.8K

56.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

8.62

57.31%

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

Last update for Jarabacoa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jarabacoa

$219 31.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 61% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jarabacoa

$159 22.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17% $27

Eating Out

Jarabacoa

$152 21.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Jarabacoa

$136 19.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Jarabacoa

$15 * 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 481% $72

Getting Around

Jarabacoa

$14 * 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 501% $73

Accommodation & Living

Jarabacoa

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Jarabacoa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $352 – making Jarabacoa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Jarabacoa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

2 h behind Jarabacoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,855

4,912

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jarabacoa Nosara 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Jarabacoa
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

Jarabacoa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 164%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,043 per month in Jarabacoa and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $696 in Jarabacoa and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 164%.

Kindergarten costs $251 per month in Jarabacoa and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jarabacoa, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Jarabacoa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Jarabacoa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.