Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and St Lawrence

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,145 in St Lawrence, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
St Lawrence
🇯🇪 Jersey
$3,145
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in St Lawrence

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $3,145 in St Lawrence, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • St Lawrence $3,145

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $5,181 in St Lawrence, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • St Lawrence $5,181

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $7,217 in St Lawrence, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • St Lawrence $7,217

Nosara is about 42% cheaper than St Lawrence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and St Lawrence sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, St Lawrence by 135%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$39.08 JEP 29.59
-68.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$119 JEP 90.4
-49.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$10.76 JEP 8.14
-29.93%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$4.87 JEP 3.69
-11.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$3.24 JEP 2.45
-46.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$2.53 JEP 1.92
-46.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$8.03 JEP 6.08
-59.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$6.47 JEP 4.90
-30.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$2.31 JEP 1.75
-32.03%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$2.81 JEP 2.13
12.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$2.52 JEP 1.91
-3.97%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$5.74 JEP 4.34
-37.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$7.39 JEP 5.59
0.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$12.14 JEP 9.19
-14.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$18.11 JEP 13.71
-24.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$4.25 JEP 3.22
-45.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$3.44 JEP 2.60
-53.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$4.17 JEP 3.16
13.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$4.51 JEP 3.41
-63.19%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$3.23 JEP 2.44
15.17%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$3.13 JEP 2.37
14.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$1.82 JEP 1.37
-39.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$2.47 JEP 1.87
3.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$19.71 JEP 14.92
-74.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$10.64 JEP 8.06
88.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$4.59 JEP 3.47
-39.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$7.81 JEP 5.91
-54.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$5.21 JEP 3.95
-57.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$2.43 JEP 1.84
-36.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$53.5 JEP 40.52
-83.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$2.11 JEP 1.60
-25.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$26.6K JEP 20.1K
-17.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$36.1K JEP 27.3K
-4.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$318 JEP 241
-70.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$33.88 JEP 25.64
3.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$72.3 JEP 54.8
-28.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$93.8 JEP 71.0
-23.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$20.21 JEP 15.30
-61.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$833 JEP 631
-41.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$12.0K JEP 9,107
-1.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$104 JEP 78.7
-48.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$72.8 JEP 55.1
-23.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$120 JEP 90.6
-33.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$207 JEP 156
-61.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$1,749 JEP 1,324
-55.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$1,482 JEP 1,122
-47.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$3,974 JEP 3,008
-2.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$3,325 JEP 2,517
-57.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
St Lawrence
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
4.08
111.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for St Lawrence: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
St Lawrence
$1.5K 90.1% $702
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
St Lawrence
$415 18.8% $66
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
St Lawrence
$480 129% $270
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
St Lawrence
$424 136% $244
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
St Lawrence
$226 88.1% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
St Lawrence
$134 54.1% $47
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
St Lawrence
$17 * 80% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,749 in St Lawrence. 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $119 in St Lawrence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $415 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇯🇪 St Lawrence
🕒 Local time
03:36 3:36 AM
10:36 10:36 AM
7 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
5,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JEP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jersey Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.757 JEP (1 JEP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 JEP (1 JEP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara St Lawrence 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • St Lawrence

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 St Lawrence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in St Lawrence compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $3,145 in St Lawrence – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to St Lawrence?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $4,717 in St Lawrence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and St Lawrence?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $119 in St Lawrence. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 19% more in St Lawrence, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in St Lawrence at $3,145. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Lawrence it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and St Lawrence?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $3,145 in St Lawrence. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or St Lawrence safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and St Lawrence?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Lawrence makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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