Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Saint Ann's Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Ann’s Bay: $1,006 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Saint Ann's Bay
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Saint Ann's Bay Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Saint Ann's Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Saint Ann's 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 Saint Ann's Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Saint Ann's Bay $1,006

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $1,600 in Saint Ann’s Bay, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Saint Ann's Bay $1,600

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $2,195 in Saint Ann’s Bay, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Saint Ann's Bay $2,195

Nosara costs about 84% more than Saint Ann’s Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Saint Ann’s Bay is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$13.35 JMD 2,105

-7.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$50.2 JMD 7,922

20.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$8.31 JMD 1,311

-5.17%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$5.46 JMD 862

-19.41%

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

$0.70 JMD 110

91.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$2.25 JMD 354

48.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$3.12 JMD 492

45.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$4.07 JMD 641

-59.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.74 JMD 589

-15.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.63 JMD 258

46.63%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.47 JMD 547

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$11.20 JMD 1,766

-36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$6.20 JMD 978

66.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$10.09 JMD 1,591

38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$6.00 JMD 946

-61.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$3.99 JMD 629

-59.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$7.53 JMD 1,187

-36.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$2.98 JMD 469

-43.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.28 JMD 518

19.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.62 JMD 414

38.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$3.15 JMD 497

-64.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.44 JMD 226

82.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$9.30 JMD 1,467

-46.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$11.43 JMD 1,802

72.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.95 JMD 464

-1.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$4.03 JMD 636

-12.16%

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

$1.30 JMD 204

65.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$3.17 JMD 501

-48.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$6.44 JMD 1,016

36.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.30 JMD 205

19.23%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$43.4K JMD 6.8M

-21.95%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

17.75%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$169 JMD 26.6K

-43.60%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$29.03 JMD 4,577

25.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$52.9 JMD 8,346

-1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$13.41 JMD 2,114

-43.77%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$366 JMD 57.7K

35.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$8,305 JMD 1.3M

41.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$23.59 JMD 3,719

133.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$31.44 JMD 4,957

78.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$78.3 JMD 12.4K

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$101 JMD 16.0K

-22.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

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 Saint Ann's Bay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Saint Ann's Bay

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Saint Ann's Bay

$383 38.1% 9% $32

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Saint Ann's Bay

$222 22.1% 4.3% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Saint Ann's Bay

$251 24.9% 36.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Saint Ann's Bay

$106 10.5% 12.4% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Saint Ann's Bay

$17 * 1.7% 80.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Saint Ann's Bay

$27 * 2.7% 67.6% $56

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 in Nosara versus $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Nosara vs $383 in Saint Ann’s Bay – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Saint Ann's Bay

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,671

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Saint Ann's Bay 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Saint Ann's 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 Saint Ann's Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay – Saint Ann’s Bay comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,508 in Saint Ann’s Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,846 in Nosara and $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.