Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jayuya

For one person, living is cheaper in Jayuya: $1,355 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Jayuya
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Jayuya Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Jayuya

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jayuya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,355 in Jayuya.

Nosara $1,837
Jayuya $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,060 in Jayuya.

Nosara $2,775
Jayuya $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,764 in Jayuya.

Nosara $3,712
Jayuya $2,764

Living in Nosara is roughly 36% more expensive than in Jayuya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Jayuya 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$12.08 $12.08

1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$60.5 $60.5

-0.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.76 $7.76

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.88 $4.88

-11.68%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.98 $0.98

75.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.28 $1.28

5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.99 $1.99

62.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.98 $3.98

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.94 $1.94

-19.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.07 $3.07

3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.49 $3.49

-30.66%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$5.65 $5.65

-36.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$12.14 $12.14

-38.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.86 $5.86

77.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.73 $6.73

102.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$7.81 $7.81

-70.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.89 $3.89

-58.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$6.86 $6.86

-30.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$5.25 $5.25

-68.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$4.11 $4.11

-9.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.04 $2.04

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$4.01 $4.01

-72.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.02 $2.02

26.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$10.79 $10.79

-54.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$15.23 $15.23

31.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.17 $2.17

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.41 $3.41

3.52%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.81 $0.81

93.83%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$55.8K $55.8K

-60.93%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$35.0K $35.0K

-0.92%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$40.15 $40.15

-12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$68.9 $68.9

-25.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.20 $9.20

-14.78%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$71.2 $71.2

-24.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$50.1 $50.1

11.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$89.8 $89.8

-11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$149 $149

-47.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$496 $496

58.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$453 $453

72.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$650 $650

494.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$557 $557

152.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$857 $857

713.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$801 $801

49.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,469 $1,469

-40.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.27

63.57%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jayuya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Jayuya

$453 33.8% 41.9% $326

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Jayuya

$393 29.3% 12.6% $44

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Jayuya

$205 15.3% 1.9% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Jayuya

$109 * 8.1% 39.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Jayuya

$162 12.1% 34.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jayuya

$18 * 1.4% 78.9% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jayuya

- * 0% 100%

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 $786 in Nosara and $496 in Jayuya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jayuya pays 68% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $60.0 in Jayuya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $393 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Jayuya

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jayuya 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jayuya

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 Jayuya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Jayuya differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,355 including rent). Jayuya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Jayuya. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $496 in Jayuya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,355 in Jayuya – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,355 in Jayuya versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jayuya but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Jayuya 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 Jayuya 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 Jayuya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.