Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Alexandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,044 in Alexandria.

Nosara $1,837
Alexandria $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,704 in Alexandria.

Nosara $2,775
Alexandria $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,364 in Alexandria.

Nosara $3,712
Alexandria $2,364

Living in Nosara is roughly 76% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Alexandria is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$15.61 JMD 2,466

-21.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

-21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.75 JMD 1,381

-13.83%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$5.28 JMD 834

-18.37%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.16 JMD 184

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.68 JMD 107

98.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.27 JMD 359

42.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.21 JMD 508

39.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$4.09 JMD 646

-61.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.86 JMD 610

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.59 JMD 250

52.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.53 JMD 557

1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.57 JMD 1,826

-35.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.39 JMD 1,009

63.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$10.30 JMD 1,626

32.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$6.22 JMD 983

-62.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.93 JMD 621

-59.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$7.47 JMD 1,180

-36.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.01 JMD 475

-44.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.33 JMD 525

11.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.59 JMD 409

37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$3.12 JMD 492

-64.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.47 JMD 232

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$9.74 JMD 1,538

-49.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.57 JMD 1,827

72.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.90 JMD 458

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.07 JMD 643

-13.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.17 JMD 185

91.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.13 JMD 494

-50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$6.42 JMD 1,013

38.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.42 JMD 224

10.56%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-51.44%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

5.18%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$174 JMD 27.5K

-46.36%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$30.04 JMD 4,744

16.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$53.0 JMD 8,365

-2.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$13.14 JMD 2,074

-40.33%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$359 JMD 56.7K

36.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

44.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$23.28 JMD 3,676

129.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$31.50 JMD 4,974

77.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$102 JMD 16.1K

-22.79%

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)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.45

-8.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Alexandria

$388 37.6% 11.1% $39

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Alexandria

$240 23.2% 14.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Alexandria

$257 24.9% 42.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Alexandria

$105 10.2% 12.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5% 69.8% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6% 80.6% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $77.0 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $388 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,927

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Alexandria 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Alexandria

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

Nosara vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Alexandria differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,044 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $1,567 in Alexandria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $359 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Alexandria are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.