Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucea and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $1,002 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
Learn more

Lucea Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Lucea vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lucea $1,002
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,661 per month in Lucea vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lucea $1,661
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,320 per month in Lucea vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lucea $2,320
Nosara $3,818

Lucea is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Lucea sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 JMD 2,126

$12.35 ₡5,539

8.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 JMD 11.9K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

23.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 JMD 1,261

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.12%

Cappuccino

$5.38 JMD 850

$4.41 ₡1,978

22.00%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.74 ₡780

-31.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$1.31 ₡587

-45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 JMD 354

$3.28 ₡1,471

-31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.18 JMD 661

$1.56 ₡701

167.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 JMD 605

$3.02 ₡1,355

26.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.06%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 563

$3.57 ₡1,603

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 JMD 1,811

$7.43 ₡3,333

54.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 JMD 983

$10.52 ₡4,717

-40.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.42 JMD 1,646

$13.97 ₡6,265

-25.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.11 JMD 965

$2.35 ₡1,052

160.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.81 JMD 602

$1.61 ₡720

136.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.16 JMD 1,132

$4.80 ₡2,152

49.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 472

$1.61 ₡724

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 JMD 501

$3.80 ₡1,703

-16.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 JMD 422

$3.69 ₡1,657

-27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 JMD 467

$1.13 ₡507

161.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 238

$2.66 ₡1,191

-43.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.35 JMD 1,477

$5.18 ₡2,321

80.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,795

$19.88 ₡8,916

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 443

$2.90 ₡1,300

-3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 JMD 637

$3.63 ₡1,626

11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 JMD 192

$2.14 ₡958

-43.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 505

$1.57 ₡703

103.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 JMD 978

$8.52 ₡3,823

-27.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 223

$1.52 ₡682

-7.24%

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

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

104.16%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.74%

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

$165 JMD 26.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

71.10%

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

$29.78 JMD 4,704

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-17.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 JMD 8,451

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.42 JMD 2,121

$7.89 ₡3,539

70.09%

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

$355 JMD 56.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

-28.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,075 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.09 JMD 3,648

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-57.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.58 JMD 4,989

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 JMD 12.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 15.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

8.62

9.63%

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

Last update for Lucea: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lucea

$384 38.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lucea

$248 24.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 25.1% $62

Eating Out

Lucea

$221 22.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4.2% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lucea

$105 10.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lucea

$27 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 225% $61

Getting Around

Lucea

$17 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 407% $70

Accommodation & Living

Lucea

- * 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 $75.0 in Lucea versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Lucea

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h behind Lucea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,377

4,912

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 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).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lucea Nosara 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lucea
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

Lucea vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 83% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,504 per month in Lucea and $2,758 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 $75.0 in Lucea and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucea, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lucea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lucea costs $1,002 versus $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Lucea. 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.