Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Duncans

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 Duncans actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Duncans $2,336

Nosara costs about 83% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-9.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-19.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$8.14 JMD 1,284

-3.19%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$5.44 JMD 858

-19.12%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.14 JMD 180

50.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.71 JMD 111

88.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$2.25 JMD 355

48.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$3.21 JMD 507

41.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$4.15 JMD 655

-60.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.73 JMD 588

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.58 JMD 249

51.27%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.58 JMD 565

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$11.50 JMD 1,813

-38.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$6.21 JMD 979

66.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$10.34 JMD 1,631

35.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$6.01 JMD 947

-61.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$3.97 JMD 625

-59.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-36.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.02 JMD 476

-44.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.32 JMD 523

17.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.61 JMD 411

39.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$3.01 JMD 475

-62.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.43 JMD 226

83.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-47.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$11.25 JMD 1,775

75.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.78 JMD 439

4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$3.96 JMD 625

-10.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$1.27 JMD 200

69.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$3.20 JMD 505

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$6.23 JMD 983

40.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.45 JMD 228

6.90%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-23.13%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

19.66%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$171 JMD 27.0K

-44.42%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$29.64 JMD 4,674

22.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$51.8 JMD 8,166

0.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-43.77%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$355 JMD 56.0K

39.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

41.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$23.91 JMD 3,771

130.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$31.38 JMD 4,949

78.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

-1.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Duncans

$384 38% 9.3% $33

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 4.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Duncans

$253 25% 37.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 11.5% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 80.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 67.5% $56

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 $61 in Nosara versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $384 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,153

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Duncans 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $355 in Duncans. 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 Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Duncans 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 $1,011 in Duncans to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.