Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Saint Andrew Parish

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Andrew Parish: $1,496 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrew Parish
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Saint Andrew Parish Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Saint Andrew Parish

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Saint Andrew Parish

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 Saint Andrew Parish actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Saint Andrew Parish $1,496

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,422 in Saint Andrew Parish, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Saint Andrew Parish $2,422

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,348 in Saint Andrew Parish, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Saint Andrew Parish $3,348

Nosara costs about 23% more than Saint Andrew Parish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Saint Andrew Parish sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Saint Andrew Parish by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$13.43 JMD 2,120

-7.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$67.2 JMD 10.6K

-9.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$8.15 JMD 1,287

-3.31%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$5.42 JMD 855

-18.82%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.20 JMD 190

43.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.71 JMD 111

88.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$2.24 JMD 354

49.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$3.22 JMD 509

40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$3.38 JMD 533

-51.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$2.60 JMD 411

21.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.63 JMD 257

46.63%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.51 JMD 554

-1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$11.52 JMD 1,818

-38.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$6.23 JMD 983

65.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$10.36 JMD 1,636

34.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$6.07 JMD 959

-62.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$3.98 JMD 629

-59.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.94 JMD 781

-2.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.10 JMD 489

-45.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.32 JMD 524

17.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$2.58 JMD 408

40.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.86 JMD 294

-39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.96 JMD 151

173.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$9.27 JMD 1,464

-45.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$11.46 JMD 1,809

71.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$2.54 JMD 401

14.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$3.08 JMD 487

14.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.65 JMD 103

86.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$0.97 JMD 154

121.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$3.10 JMD 490

-47.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$6.14 JMD 969

42.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.30 JMD 206

19.23%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-24.58%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$24.9K JMD 3.9M

54.53%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$115 JMD 18.1K

-17.16%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$29.93 JMD 4,725

21.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$53.3 JMD 8,414

-2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$60.1 JMD 9,491

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$13.44 JMD 2,122

-43.90%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$254 JMD 40.0K

95.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$8,331 JMD 1.3M

41.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$23.59 JMD 3,725

133.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$31.28 JMD 4,939

79.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

0.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$74.8 JMD 11.8K

5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

$825 JMD 130.2K

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

$534 JMD 84.3K

50.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,680 JMD 265.2K

137.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

$1,109 JMD 175.0K

28.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$2,675 JMD 422.4K

164.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

$726 JMD 114.7K

22.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-4.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Saint Andrew Parish: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Saint Andrew Parish

$534 35.7% 33.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Saint Andrew Parish

$342 22.9% 2.5% $8.8

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Saint Andrew Parish

$222 14.9% 4.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Saint Andrew Parish

$198 13.3% 8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Saint Andrew Parish

$93 6.2% 22.8% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Saint Andrew Parish

$19 * 1.3% 78.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Saint Andrew Parish

$87 5.8% 5.2% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $825 in Saint Andrew Parish. 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 22% 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 in Nosara versus $67 in Saint Andrew Parish. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Nosara vs $342 in Saint Andrew Parish – so Saint Andrew Parish wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Saint Andrew Parish

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

555,995

💱 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 = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.69 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Saint Andrew Parish 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Saint Andrew Parish

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 Saint Andrew Parish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish – Saint Andrew Parish comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,244 in Saint Andrew Parish. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $817 in Nosara and $825 in Saint Andrew Parish. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $254 in Saint Andrew Parish. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish. That makes Saint Andrew Parish about 19% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Saint Andrew Parish. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.