Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Stony Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Stony Hill: $1,614 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Stony Hill
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Stony Hill Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Stony Hill

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Stony Hill

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 Stony Hill actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,614 in Stony Hill, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Stony Hill $1,614

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,808 in Stony Hill, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Stony Hill $2,808

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,002 in Stony Hill, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Stony Hill $4,002

Nosara costs about 14% more than Stony Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Stony Hill sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Stony Hill by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.54 JMD 2,140

-8.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

-18.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.37 JMD 1,322

-10.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.37 JMD 849

-17.88%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.14 JMD 180

52.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.60 JMD 94.8

118.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.86 JMD 293

76.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.22 JMD 509

38.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.08 JMD 487

-49.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.55 JMD 245

94.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.65 JMD 260

52.12%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.47 JMD 548

2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.50 JMD 1,817

-35.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.92 JMD 777

113.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$2.87 JMD 454

386.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.89 JMD 931

-60.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.76 JMD 594

-57.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.12 JMD 652

16.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.45 JMD 388

-34.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.75 JMD 435

38.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.90 JMD 300

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.61 JMD 255

-29.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.45 JMD 229

83.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.45 JMD 1,493

-45.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.13 JMD 1,759

78.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.79 JMD 440

3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.90 JMD 616

-6.92%

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 183

84.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.21 JMD 506

-51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.29 JMD 993

35.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.72 JMD 113

111.11%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.7K JMD 5.0M

-31.77%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.3K JMD 4.0M

36.64%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$46.98 JMD 7,422

104.96%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$21.73 JMD 3,433

65.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$41.54 JMD 6,563

29.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$75.6 JMD 11.9K

-5.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$19.10 JMD 3,017

82.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.63 JMD 1,996

-37.53%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$360 JMD 56.9K

37.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,318 JMD 1.3M

42.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.28 JMD 3,678

131.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.45 JMD 4,969

76.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.0 JMD 11.8K

3.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 JMD 16.5K

-23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$937 JMD 148.0K

-15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$764 JMD 120.7K

3.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,225 JMD 351.5K

77.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,877 JMD 296.5K

-24.38%

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

-4.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Stony Hill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Stony Hill

$764 47.4% 3.8% $30

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Stony Hill

$295 18.3% 16.2% $57

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Stony Hill

$221 13.7% 4.1% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Stony Hill

$110 6.8% 40.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Stony Hill

$105 6.5% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Stony Hill

$101 6.3% 15.4% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Stony Hill

$17 * 1.1% 80.3% $70

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 $937 in Stony Hill. 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 $75.0 in Stony Hill. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $295 in Stony Hill – so Stony Hill wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇲 Stony Hill

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,551

💱 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 Stony Hill 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Stony Hill

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 Stony Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,614 in Stony Hill – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,420 in Stony Hill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stony Hill, 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 $75.0 in Stony Hill. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stony Hill, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Stony Hill 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 $1,614 in Stony Hill 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 Stony Hill. 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.