Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ocho Rios

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,089 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ocho Rios $1,089

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,565 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ocho Rios $1,565

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,040 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ocho Rios $2,040

Nosara costs about 69% more than Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ocho Rios is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$9.32 JMD 1,473

32.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

-3.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.73 JMD 1,063

11.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.07 JMD 486

43.65%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.16 JMD 183

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.67 JMD 107

95.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.22 JMD 350

47.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.08 JMD 486

45.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.94 JMD 623

-60.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.78 JMD 439

8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.61 JMD 255

55.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.58 JMD 566

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.47 JMD 1,813

-35.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.19 JMD 978

69.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.14 JMD 1,602

37.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.86 JMD 926

-59.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.12 JMD 493

-48.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$6.42 JMD 1,015

-25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.44 JMD 385

-34.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.28 JMD 518

15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.54 JMD 401

45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.85 JMD 451

-60.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.40 JMD 221

90.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$8.54 JMD 1,349

-39.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.25 JMD 1,462

114.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.88 JMD 454

0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.86 JMD 609

-5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.95 JMD 151

17.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.22 JMD 193

75.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.22 JMD 509

-51.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.33 JMD 1,000

34.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.43 JMD 227

6.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-50.53%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

4.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$169 JMD 26.7K

-42.94%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.74 JMD 3,118

81.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$53.6 JMD 8,471

-0.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-31.21%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$358 JMD 56.6K

37.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

46.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.39 JMD 3,696

130.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.00 JMD 4,897

78.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 JMD 16.4K

-23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$378 JMD 59.7K

108.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$188 JMD 29.7K

322.06%

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 Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3% 76.3% $606

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4% 0.3% $1.1

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3% 26.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2% 30.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 73.7% $64

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 75.7% $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 $378 in Ocho Rios. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $63.0 in Ocho Rios. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

26,503

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ocho Rios 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,089 in Ocho Rios – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,634 in Ocho Rios. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ocho Rios, 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 $63.0 in Ocho Rios. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ocho Rios, where all-in costs run around $1,089, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ocho Rios 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 $1,089 in Ocho Rios to $1,839 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 Ocho Rios. 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.