Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jos: $537 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Jos
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Jos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Jos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$537

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Jos $537
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,102 per month in Jos vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Jos $1,102
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Jos vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Jos $1,668
Nosara $3,712

Jos is about 71% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jos sits 60% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.96 ₦2,598

$12.22 ₡5,509

-83.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.90 ₦33.1K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-58.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.98 ₦5,289

$7.54 ₡3,399

-47.21%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₦4,564

$4.31 ₡1,941

-20.19%

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

$0.42 ₦552

$1.72 ₡773

-75.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₦915

$1.35 ₡608

-48.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₦1,359

$3.24 ₡1,459

-68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₦2,775

$4.48 ₡2,018

-53.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.68 ₦4,893

$1.57 ₡707

134.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₦1,163

$3.17 ₡1,429

-72.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₦2,994

$2.42 ₡1,091

-7.02%

Eggs

$1.79 ₦2,382

$3.57 ₡1,609

-49.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ₦13.5K

$7.43 ₡3,349

36.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ₦6,470

$10.42 ₡4,697

-53.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.14 ₦5,505

$13.66 ₡6,156

-69.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₦2,724

$2.32 ₡1,044

-11.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₦1,990

$1.61 ₡728

-6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ₦2,034

$4.74 ₡2,138

-67.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 ₦3,149

$1.66 ₡747

42.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 ₦2,495

$3.72 ₡1,679

-49.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 ₦3,154

$3.57 ₡1,611

-33.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₦744

$1.10 ₡497

-49.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₦500

$2.55 ₡1,149

-85.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 ₦2,622

$4.95 ₡2,232

-60.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 ₦7,893

$20.01 ₡9,020

-70.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₦1,583

$2.79 ₡1,256

-57.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₦2,402

$3.53 ₡1,589

-48.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 ₦828

$2.24 ₡1,011

-72.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ₦1,092

$1.55 ₡701

-47.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₦2,580

$8.86 ₡3,993

-78.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 ₦773

$1.57 ₡708

-63.06%

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

$26.4K ₦35.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

21.10%

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

$18.0K ₦23.9M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-48.03%

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

$101 ₦133.9K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

7.87%

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

$6.47 ₦8,590

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-81.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 ₦38.9K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-43.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 ₦52.4K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-44.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.91 ₦15.8K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-66.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ₦6,458

$7.84 ₡3,535

-38.01%

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

$45.07 ₦59.9K

$490 ₡220.7K

-90.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,000 ₦1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-91.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.07 ₦13.4K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-81.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.70 ₦19.5K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-73.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.58 ₦65.9K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-37.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.3 ₦66.7K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-36.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ₦751.0K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-85.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 ₦643.0K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-65.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,981 ₦2.6M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-71.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,471 ₦2.0M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

22.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$102 ₦135.1K

$876 ₡395.0K

-88.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

8.62

161.02%

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

Last update for Jos: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jos

$205 38.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 70.6% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jos

$137 25.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 31.8% $43

Eating Out

Jos

$83 15.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 154% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Jos

$56 10.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 115% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Jos

$49 9.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 77.1% $38

Getting Around

Jos

$4.7 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1736% $82

Accommodation & Living

Jos

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 762% higher in Nosara, 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 $25.00 in Jos versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $350 – making Jos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Jos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

21:58 9:58 PM

7 h behind Jos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,328 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.71 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).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jos Nosara 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Jos
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

Jos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $537 in Jos, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 242% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $805 per month in Jos and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Jos and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $537 in Jos to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Jos. 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.