Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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 Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Old Harbour

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $998 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Old Harbour $998

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,652 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Old Harbour $1,652

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,305 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Old Harbour $2,305

Nosara costs about 84% more than Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.53 JMD 2,138

-8.72%

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

$7.93 JMD 1,253

-5.17%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.24 JMD 828

-15.84%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.20 JMD 190

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.73 JMD 115

79.45%

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

$3.17 JMD 500

41.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$4.03 JMD 636

-61.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.77 JMD 595

-19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.59 JMD 251

57.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.47 JMD 548

2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.28 JMD 1,783

-34.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.38 JMD 1,008

64.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.30 JMD 1,628

35.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.09 JMD 963

-61.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.80 JMD 601

-57.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$7.45 JMD 1,177

-35.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.06 JMD 484

-47.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.28 JMD 519

15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.70 JMD 427

36.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.03 JMD 479

-62.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.45 JMD 229

83.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.24 JMD 1,459

-43.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.41 JMD 1,803

74.23%

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

$4.00 JMD 633

-9.25%

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

$1.16 JMD 184

84.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.07 JMD 486

-48.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.13 JMD 968

38.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.47 JMD 232

3.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-51.74%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

5.17%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$164 JMD 26.0K

-41.39%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$29.43 JMD 4,650

21.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$53.0 JMD 8,374

1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.05 JMD 2,062

-39.54%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$361 JMD 57.0K

36.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

41.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.49 JMD 3,710

129.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.98 JMD 5,053

73.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 JMD 16.4K

-23.39%

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 Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Old Harbour

$383 38.4% 8.7% $31

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Old Harbour

$220 22% 3.8% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Old Harbour

$247 24.7% 32.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6% 70.1% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 81% $71

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 $74.0 in Old Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $383 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

26,024

💱 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 Old Harbour 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $998 in Old Harbour – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,497 in Old Harbour. 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 $74.0 in Old Harbour. 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Old Harbour, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Old Harbour 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 $998 in Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour. 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.