Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Montego Bay

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,141 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Montego Bay $2,141

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,113 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Montego Bay $3,113

Nosara costs about 57% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Montego Bay is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.14 JMD 1,760

10.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-17.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.35 JMD 1,319

-9.94%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.22 JMD 825

-15.52%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.94 JMD 149

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.70 JMD 110

87.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.17 JMD 343

51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.06 JMD 484

46.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.30 JMD 522

-52.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.61 JMD 413

15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.38 JMD 217

81.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.48 JMD 550

2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.24 JMD 1,775

-33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.13 JMD 968

71.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.05 JMD 1,430

54.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.03 JMD 637

-41.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.53 JMD 400

-36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-34.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.45 JMD 388

-34.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.44 JMD 386

55.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.66 JMD 420

38.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.55 JMD 403

-55.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.77 JMD 121

245.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.16 JMD 1,447

-43.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.14 JMD 1,760

78.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.80 JMD 442

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.05 JMD 640

-10.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.96 JMD 152

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.93 JMD 147

130.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.17 JMD 501

-50.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.25 JMD 988

36.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.35 JMD 214

12.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-51.07%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

5.75%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$170 JMD 26.8K

-43.19%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.58 JMD 3,567

58.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$47.32 JMD 7,477

13.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.55 JMD 7,038

60.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.65 JMD 1,367

-8.79%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$355 JMD 56.0K

39.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

44.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.50 JMD 3,713

129.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.80 JMD 4,866

79.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

14.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$102 JMD 16.1K

-21.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$318 JMD 50.2K

147.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$222 JMD 35.1K

257.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$934 JMD 147.6K

321.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$934 JMD 147.6K

51.89%

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

$595 JMD 94.0K

45.21%

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 Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 72% $572

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 8.2% $29

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 5.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 28.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 16% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 29.2% $26

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 76.3% $66

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 $318 in Montego Bay. 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 45% 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 $74.0 in Montego Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $323 in Montego Bay – so Montego Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

02:56 2:56 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

110,115

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Montego Bay 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Montego Bay

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 Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 57% more than Montego Bay, 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 $1,753 in Montego Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montego Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $74.0 in Montego Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 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 Montego Bay. 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.