Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jos

For one person, living is cheaper in Jos: $537 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Jos
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Jos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Jos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jos

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $537 in Jos, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Jos $537

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,102 in Jos, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Jos $1,102

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,668 in Jos, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Jos $1,668

Nosara costs about 242% more than Jos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Jos is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$1.96 ₦2,598

523.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$24.90 ₦33.1K

141.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$3.98 ₦5,289

89.45%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.44 ₦4,564

25.29%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.42 ₦552

309.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.69 ₦915

95.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.02 ₦1,359

217.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.09 ₦2,775

114.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.68 ₦4,893

-57.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.88 ₦1,163

260.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.25 ₦2,994

7.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.79 ₦2,382

99.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.15 ₦13.5K

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.87 ₦6,470

113.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.14 ₦5,505

229.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.05 ₦2,724

13.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.50 ₦1,990

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.53 ₦2,034

209.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.37 ₦3,149

-29.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.88 ₦2,495

97.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.37 ₦3,154

50.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.56 ₦744

96.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.38 ₦500

571.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.97 ₦2,622

151.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.94 ₦7,893

236.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.19 ₦1,583

134.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.81 ₦2,402

95.03%

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

$0.62 ₦828

261.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.82 ₦1,092

89.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$1.94 ₦2,580

356.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.58 ₦773

170.69%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$26.4K ₦35.1M

-17.42%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$18.0K ₦23.9M

92.40%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$101 ₦133.9K

-7.29%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$6.47 ₦8,590

442.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$29.31 ₦38.9K

75.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$39.44 ₦52.4K

81.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$11.91 ₦15.8K

197.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.86 ₦6,458

61.32%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$45.07 ₦59.9K

986.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,000 ₦1.3M

1088.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$10.07 ₦13.4K

431.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$14.70 ₦19.5K

279.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$49.58 ₦65.9K

59.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$50.3 ₦66.7K

56.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$565 ₦751.0K

582.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$484 ₦643.0K

190.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,981 ₦2.6M

251.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,471 ₦2.0M

-18.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$102 ₦135.1K

761.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

22.5

-61.69%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jos: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Jos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Jos

$205 38.4% 41.4% $145

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Jos

$83 15.5% 60.6% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Jos

$137 25.6% 24.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Jos

$56 10.5% 53.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jos

$49 9.2% 43.5% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jos

$4.7 * 0.9% 94.6% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 762% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $25.00 in Jos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $205 – making Jos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇬 Jos

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

05:55 5:55 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

900,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,328 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Jos 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jos

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 Jos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $537 in Jos – roughly 242% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $805 in Jos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $25.00 in Jos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jos, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Jos 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 $537 in Jos to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Jos. 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.