Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gordon Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Gordon Town: $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.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Gordon Town
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Gordon Town Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gordon Town

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

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

Nosara $1,839
Gordon Town $1,002

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,657 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Gordon Town $1,657

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,311 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Gordon Town $2,311

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.39 JMD 2,116

-7.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

-17.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.03 JMD 1,269

-6.35%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.17 JMD 817

-14.70%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.20 JMD 189

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.68 JMD 108

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.19 JMD 345

49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.21 JMD 507

39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$4.24 JMD 670

-63.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.72 JMD 588

-18.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.63 JMD 258

53.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.45 JMD 545

3.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.33 JMD 1,790

-34.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.34 JMD 1,001

65.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.27 JMD 1,622

36.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.05 JMD 955

-61.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.97 JMD 627

-59.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$7.20 JMD 1,138

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.11 JMD 491

-48.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.25 JMD 513

16.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.70 JMD 427

36.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.10 JMD 490

-63.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.51 JMD 238

76.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.63 JMD 1,521

-46.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.21 JMD 1,771

77.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.86 JMD 452

1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.07 JMD 643

-10.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.17 JMD 185

82.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.21 JMD 507

-51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.22 JMD 983

36.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.46 JMD 230

4.11%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

-50.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

4.82%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$169 JMD 26.7K

-43.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$29.50 JMD 4,660

21.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$51.6 JMD 8,148

3.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.96 JMD 2,047

-39.12%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$366 JMD 57.8K

35.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,205 JMD 1.3M

44.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.45 JMD 3,704

130.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.21 JMD 4,931

77.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-22.78%

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 %)

8.62

9.45

-8.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gordon Town: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Gordon Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Gordon Town

$385 38.4% 9.4% $33

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Gordon Town

$218 21.8% 3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Gordon Town

$250 25% 34.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Gordon Town

$105 10.5% 12.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6% 70.3% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7% 80.2% $70

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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $74.0 in Gordon Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $385 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,088

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Gordon Town 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gordon Town

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 Gordon Town: 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 $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,503 in Gordon Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $74.0 in Gordon Town. 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gordon Town, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Gordon Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Gordon Town. 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.