Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandeville and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,534 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
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Mandeville Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
Learn more

Guanacaste Living Index

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Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,534

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mandeville and in Guanacaste

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mandeville and in Guanacaste actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $810 per month in Mandeville vs $1,534 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Mandeville $810
Guanacaste $1,534

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Mandeville vs $2,421 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Mandeville $1,395
Guanacaste $2,421

A family of three spends $1,980 per month in Mandeville vs $3,307 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Mandeville $1,980
Guanacaste $3,307

Mandeville is about 47% cheaper than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mandeville sits 40% below the global median, while Guanacaste is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 JMD 1,021

$10.77 ₡4,860

-39.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

$47.69 ₡21.5K

53.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,268

$11.68 ₡5,270

-31.16%

Cappuccino

$2.24 JMD 353

$4.44 ₡2,003

-49.55%

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

$1.12 JMD 176

$2.70 ₡1,220

-58.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$1.93 ₡871

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 344

$3.10 ₡1,398

-29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 JMD 450

$4.47 ₡2,019

-36.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.25 JMD 670

$2.04 ₡921

108.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 JMD 279

$3.19 ₡1,439

-44.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 246

$2.42 ₡1,091

-35.54%

Eggs

$3.63 JMD 572

$3.59 ₡1,618

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 JMD 1,830

$5.63 ₡2,542

106.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$4.30 ₡1,942

44.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$11.09 ₡5,005

-7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 944

$2.68 ₡1,210

123.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.84 JMD 605

$1.57 ₡708

144.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.15 JMD 1,127

$4.40 ₡1,988

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 JMD 484

$1.53 ₡689

100.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 JMD 515

$3.86 ₡1,744

-15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 413

$2.25 ₡1,017

16.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 JMD 497

$0.90 ₡406

250.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 JMD 235

$3.07 ₡1,385

-51.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,520

$4.34 ₡1,958

122.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,791

$20.25 ₡9,140

-43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 JMD 463

$2.80 ₡1,261

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 JMD 647

$2.66 ₡1,202

54.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡584

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 196

$2.50 ₡1,128

-50.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$1.57 ₡706

103.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 JMD 1,013

$8.85 ₡3,996

-27.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.57 ₡709

-6.37%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$33.7K ₡15.2M

29.53%

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

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-19.66%

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

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

$93.5 ₡42.2K

1.63%

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

$22.22 JMD 3,505

$36.18 ₡16.3K

-38.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 JMD 8,033

$32.69 ₡14.7K

55.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 JMD 2,095

$7.85 ₡3,542

69.17%

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

$365 JMD 57.6K

$968 ₡436.8K

-62.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

$17.5K ₡7.9M

-53.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.80 JMD 3,753

$66.5 ₡30.0K

-64.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.27 JMD 4,932

$44.53 ₡20.1K

-29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$86.6 ₡39.1K

-10.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$78.2 ₡35.3K

32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 JMD 73.6K

$795 ₡358.9K

-41.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡279.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 ₡856.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 ₡577.2K

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 Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guanacaste: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mandeville

$366 45.1%

Guanacaste

$312 20.4% 14.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandeville

$168 20.8%

Guanacaste

$162 10.6% 3.5% $5.8

Eating Out

Mandeville

$127 15.6%

Guanacaste

$217 14.2% 71.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Mandeville

$106 13.1%

Guanacaste

$124 8.1% 17% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3%

Guanacaste

$82 5.4% 209% $56

Getting Around

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1%

Guanacaste

$16 * 1% 9.9% $1.7

Accommodation & Living

Mandeville

- * 0%

Guanacaste

$620 40.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Mandeville versus $795 in Guanacaste. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Mandeville versus $48 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $312 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

1 h behind Mandeville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,115

1,823

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mandeville Guanacaste 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mandeville
Guanacaste

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

Mandeville vs Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guanacaste is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,215 per month in Mandeville and $2,301 in Guanacaste. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mandeville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $467 there versus $795 in Guanacaste.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $810 in Mandeville and $1,534 in Guanacaste. That’s a gap of about 89%.

Kindergarten costs $365 per month in Mandeville and $968 in Guanacaste. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandeville, where all-in costs run around $810, than in Guanacaste at $1,534. In Mandeville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guanacaste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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