Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kerak

For one person, living is cheaper in Kerak: $955 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Kerak
🇯🇴 Jordan
$955
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kerak

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $955 in Kerak, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Kerak $955

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,499 in Kerak, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Kerak $1,499

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,043 in Kerak, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Kerak $2,043

Nosara costs about 93% more than Kerak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kerak is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$2.80 JOD 1.98
341.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$71.8 JOD 50.9
-14.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$5.50 JOD 3.89
36.73%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$0.68 JOD 0.48
548.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$0.51 JOD 0.36
241.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.36 JOD 0.26
263.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$8.59 JOD 6.08
-61.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$10.85 JOD 7.68
-58.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.43 JOD 1.01
9.09%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$0.37 JOD 0.26
716.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$0.81 JOD 0.58
209.88%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$1.72 JOD 1.21
107.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$6.98 JOD 4.94
6.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$4.26 JOD 3.02
146.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$12.74 JOD 9.02
9.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$1.45 JOD 1.03
62.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.42 JOD 1.01
13.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$1.45 JOD 1.02
231.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$0.41 JOD 0.29
292.68%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$0.87 JOD 0.62
336.78%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$0.80 JOD 0.57
361.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.64 JOD 0.46
76.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.66 JOD 0.47
303.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$3.98 JOD 2.82
30.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$20.86 JOD 14.77
-4.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$5.06 JOD 3.58
-42.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$4.92 JOD 3.48
-26.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
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
$0.63 JOD 0.44
239.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.43 JOD 1.01
9.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$6.94 JOD 4.91
22.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.68 JOD 1.19
-9.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$34.8K JOD 24.6K
-37.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$35.2K JOD 24.9K
-1.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$111 JOD 78.6
-13.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$15.71 JOD 11.12
128.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$28.44 JOD 20.13
88.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$42.59 JOD 30.16
68.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$11.44 JOD 8.10
-31.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$140 JOD 99.0
253.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$3,415 JOD 2,418
247.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$63.8 JOD 45.17
-15.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$83.2 JOD 58.9
-33.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$124 JOD 87.6
-36.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$86.8 JOD 61.4
-8.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$181 JOD 128
335.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$227 JOD 160
250.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$277 JOD 196
1320.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$321 JOD 227
341.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$215 JOD 153
3108.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$280 JOD 198
337.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Kerak
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$521 JOD 369
65.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
6.81
26.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kerak: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Kerak
$227 71.5% $568
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Kerak
$224 36.5% $129
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Kerak
$115 45.6% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Kerak
$155 16.4% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Kerak
$161 33.9% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Kerak
$65 25.1% $22
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Kerak
$7.8 * 91.1% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $181 in Kerak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 66% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $72.0 in Kerak. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $224 in Kerak – so Kerak wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇯🇴 Kerak
🕒 Local time
17:18 5:18 PM
02:18 2:18 AM
9 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
21,678
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Kerak 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Kerak

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 Kerak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kerak cheaper than Nosara?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,432 in Kerak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kerak, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Nosara or in Kerak?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $72.0 in Kerak. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Nosara and in Kerak?
Groceries cost about 57% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Kerak?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kerak, where all-in costs run around $955, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kerak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nosara or Kerak more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kerak – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Kerak?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kerak. 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.

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