Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jambi

For one person, living is cheaper in Jambi: $582 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Jambi
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Jambi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Jambi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jambi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $582 in Jambi.

Nosara $1,835
Jambi $582

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $920 in Jambi.

Nosara $2,825
Jambi $920

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,258 in Jambi.

Nosara $3,814
Jambi $1,258

Living in Nosara is roughly 216% more expensive than in Jambi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Jambi is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

701.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$12.52 Rp 225.4K

389.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$2.95 Rp 53.2K

163.05%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.32 Rp 23.7K

236.36%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.46 Rp 8,256

289.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.19 Rp 3,352

578.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.10 Rp 37.7K

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

33.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

177.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

216.25%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

134.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$6.88 Rp 123.8K

6.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

279.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$8.34 Rp 150.0K

69.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

0.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

26.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

173.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.19 Rp 21.4K

37.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.28 Rp 23.0K

200.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.99 Rp 35.9K

88.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.68 Rp 12.2K

60.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.39 Rp 7,031

564.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.61 Rp 46.9K

96.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$18.00 Rp 324.0K

10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

47.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.24 Rp 4,299

408.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.54 Rp 9,715

301.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.41 Rp 7,371

280.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

272.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

58.16%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.5K Rp 368.7M

68.65%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.5K Rp 620.1M

12.48%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$60.0 Rp 1.1M

58.03%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$4.49 Rp 80.8K

705.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$21.38 Rp 384.8K

148.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$15.48 Rp 278.6K

376.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$8.59 Rp 154.7K

314.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

192.96%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$103 Rp 1.9M

376.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,931 Rp 124.8M

71.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$47.84 Rp 861.1K

14.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$26.06 Rp 469.1K

114.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$69.5 Rp 1.3M

15.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$65.3 Rp 1.2M

19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$221 Rp 4.0M

262.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$132 Rp 2.4M

499.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$614 Rp 11.1M

551.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$313 Rp 5.6M

350.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,013 Rp 18.2M

597.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$764 Rp 13.7M

61.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$199 Rp 3.6M

345.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.46

-8.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jambi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Jambi

$132 22.7% 83.3% $658

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Jambi

$189 32.5% 46% $161

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Jambi

$57 9.8% 73.3% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Jambi

$86 14.8% 53.3% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Jambi

$94 16.1% 22.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Jambi

$21 3.6% 76.7% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Jambi

$3.5 * 0.6% 96% $85

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 $801 in Nosara and $221 in Jambi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 346% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $13.00 in Jambi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $189 per month, with Jambi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Jambi

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

01:47 1:47 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

750,857

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jambi 18,630 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jambi

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 Jambi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Jambi differ by about 216% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $582 including rent). Jambi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 346% higher in Nosara, 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: $801 in Nosara versus $221 in Jambi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $582 in Jambi – a 216% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $582 in Jambi versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jambi but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Jambi 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 Jambi 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 Jambi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 216% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.