Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lucea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $1,002 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
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Lucea Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lucea

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,002 in Lucea, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Lucea $1,002

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,661 in Lucea, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Lucea $1,661

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,320 in Lucea, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Lucea $2,320

Nosara costs about 83% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Lucea is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.45 JMD 2,126

-8.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$75.5 JMD 11.9K

-18.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.98 JMD 1,261

-5.76%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.38 JMD 850

-18.03%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.19 JMD 188

46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.72 JMD 114

81.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.24 JMD 354

46.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.08 JMD 486

45.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$4.18 JMD 661

-62.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.83 JMD 605

-21.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.63 JMD 258

53.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.56 JMD 563

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.47 JMD 1,811

-35.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.22 JMD 983

69.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.42 JMD 1,646

34.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.11 JMD 965

-61.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.81 JMD 602

-57.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$7.16 JMD 1,132

-32.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.99 JMD 472

-46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.17 JMD 501

19.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.67 JMD 422

38.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.96 JMD 467

-61.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.51 JMD 238

76.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.35 JMD 1,477

-44.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.36 JMD 1,795

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.81 JMD 443

3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.03 JMD 637

-9.93%

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

$1.21 JMD 192

76.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.19 JMD 505

-50.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.19 JMD 978

37.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.41 JMD 223

7.80%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-51.02%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

7.23%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$165 JMD 26.0K

-41.55%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$29.78 JMD 4,704

20.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$53.5 JMD 8,451

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.42 JMD 2,121

-41.21%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$355 JMD 56.1K

39.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,075 JMD 1.3M

46.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.09 JMD 3,648

133.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.58 JMD 4,989

75.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.2 JMD 12.3K

-0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$101 JMD 15.9K

-20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.45

-8.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lucea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lucea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lucea

$384 38.3% 9.1% $32

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lucea

$221 22.1% 4.4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lucea

$248 24.7% 33.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lucea

$105 10.5% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lucea

$27 * 2.7% 69.3% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lucea

$17 * 1.7% 80.3% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $75.0 in Lucea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $384 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Lucea

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,377

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lucea 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lucea

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 Lucea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 83% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,504 in Lucea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $75.0 in Lucea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucea, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lucea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lucea costs $1,002 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Lucea. 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.