Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
Learn more

Jaco Beach Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach.

Nosara $1,846
Jaco Beach $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $2,296 in Jaco Beach.

Nosara $2,833
Jaco Beach $2,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $3,147 in Jaco Beach.

Nosara $3,820
Jaco Beach $3,147

Living in Nosara is roughly 28% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Jaco Beach 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$11.32 ₡5,106

9.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$43.14 ₡19.5K

40.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$10.22 ₡4,612

-22.90%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$3.99 ₡1,799

10.28%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.40 ₡1,085

-28.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.87 ₡844

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.19 ₡1,441

4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.33 ₡1,954

4.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.98 ₡892

-17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.19 ₡989

44.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.39 ₡1,078

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.60 ₡1,175

33.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$10.78 ₡4,865

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$8.88 ₡4,008

16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$12.11 ₡5,466

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$4.95 ₡2,233

-53.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.66 ₡748

-2.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$4.75 ₡2,141

1.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.42 ₡1,544

-50.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.50 ₡676

160.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$1.42 ₡641

155.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.99 ₡447

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.99 ₡900

32.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$6.01 ₡2,711

-16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$13.81 ₡6,231

42.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.64 ₡1,192

10.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.18 ₡985

62.39%

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

$2.49 ₡1,125

-13.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.63 ₡735

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$8.53 ₡3,848

2.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.57 ₡707

-1.27%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-0.02%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-9.73%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$79.6 ₡35.9K

19.69%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$23.88 ₡10.8K

51.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$47.69 ₡21.5K

9.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$52.0 ₡23.4K

30.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$7.72 ₡3,483

-2.33%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$479 ₡216.3K

3.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$7,442 ₡3.4M

58.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$25.50 ₡11.5K

116.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$127 ₡57.3K

-38.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$133 ₡59.8K

-40.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$748 ₡337.6K

9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$526 ₡237.2K

53.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,984 ₡895.4K

100.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$1,099 ₡495.8K

30.06%

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

$402 ₡181.3K

121.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 34.8% $280

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 7.2% $25

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 1.2% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 17.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 27.3% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 88% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 18.5% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $43 in Jaco Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $326 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jaco Beach 120 km

From you

Nosara
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and utilities. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Nosara is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $817 in Nosara versus $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Nosara versus $479 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $61 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jaco Beach is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, Nosara on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.