Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Negril

For one person, living is cheaper in Negril: $927 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Negril
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Negril Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Negril

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Negril

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $927 in Negril.

Nosara $1,846
Negril $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $1,478 in Negril.

Nosara $2,833
Negril $1,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $2,029 in Negril.

Nosara $3,820
Negril $2,029

Living in Nosara is roughly 99% more expensive than in Negril, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Negril is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$9.68 JMD 1,526

27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$49.26 JMD 7,767

23.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$8.05 JMD 1,269

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.05 JMD 323

114.63%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.15 JMD 181

49.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.74 JMD 117

81.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$2.16 JMD 341

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$3.19 JMD 503

42.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$4.02 JMD 634

-59.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.37 JMD 532

-6.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.58 JMD 249

51.27%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.51 JMD 554

-1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$11.25 JMD 1,773

-36.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$6.33 JMD 998

63.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$10.19 JMD 1,606

37.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$6.06 JMD 956

-62.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$3.96 JMD 624

-59.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$7.47 JMD 1,177

-35.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$2.99 JMD 471

-43.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.15 JMD 497

24.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.58 JMD 406

40.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.99 JMD 472

-62.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.44 JMD 227

82.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$9.33 JMD 1,471

-46.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$11.27 JMD 1,776

74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.92 JMD 460

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$3.94 JMD 622

-10.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$1.22 JMD 193

76.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$3.23 JMD 509

-49.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$6.36 JMD 1,002

37.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.47 JMD 232

5.44%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-22.48%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

17.96%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$166 JMD 26.2K

-42.74%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$29.95 JMD 4,722

21.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$51.9 JMD 8,179

0.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$13.26 JMD 2,090

-43.14%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$362 JMD 57.0K

37.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$8,121 JMD 1.3M

44.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$23.75 JMD 3,745

132.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$30.90 JMD 4,873

81.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

1.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$104 JMD 16.4K

-23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,005 JMD 158.5K

-18.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Negril: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Negril

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Negril

$378 40.8% 7.6% $27

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Negril

$151 16.3% 29.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Negril

$248 26.8% 35.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Negril

$106 11.4% 12.2% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Negril

$17 * 1.9% 80.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Negril

$27 * 2.9% 67.9% $56

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 $817 in Nosara and $1,005 in Negril. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $49 in Negril. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $378, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Negril

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,779

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Negril 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Negril

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 Negril: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Negril differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($1,846 vs $927 including rent). Negril is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,769 in Nosara and $1,390 in Negril to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $817 in Nosara versus $1,005 in Negril. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Nosara versus $362 in Negril. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negril – a meal for two runs $49 versus $61 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $927 in Negril versus $1,846 in Nosara, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Negril but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Negril 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.