Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocho Rios and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ocho Rios and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ocho Rios and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,089 per month in Ocho Rios vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ocho Rios $1,089
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,565 per month in Ocho Rios vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ocho Rios $1,565
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,040 per month in Ocho Rios vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ocho Rios $2,040
Nosara $3,818

Ocho Rios is about 41% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ocho Rios sits 19% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.32 JMD 1,473

$12.35 ₡5,539

-24.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

3.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 JMD 1,063

$7.52 ₡3,373

-10.51%

Cappuccino

$3.07 JMD 486

$4.41 ₡1,978

-30.39%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.74 ₡780

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 JMD 107

$1.31 ₡587

-48.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 JMD 350

$3.28 ₡1,471

-32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.94 JMD 623

$1.56 ₡701

152.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 JMD 439

$3.02 ₡1,355

-7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 255

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.86%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 566

$3.57 ₡1,603

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 JMD 1,813

$7.43 ₡3,333

54.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 JMD 978

$10.52 ₡4,717

-41.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 JMD 1,602

$13.97 ₡6,265

-27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 JMD 926

$2.35 ₡1,052

149.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 493

$1.61 ₡720

93.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 JMD 1,015

$4.80 ₡2,152

33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 385

$1.61 ₡724

51.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 518

$3.80 ₡1,703

-13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 JMD 401

$3.69 ₡1,657

-31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 JMD 451

$1.13 ₡507

152.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 JMD 221

$2.66 ₡1,191

-47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 JMD 1,349

$5.18 ₡2,321

64.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.25 JMD 1,462

$19.88 ₡8,916

-53.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 454

$2.90 ₡1,300

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.63 ₡1,626

6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 JMD 151

$1.12 ₡504

-15.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 193

$2.14 ₡958

-42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$1.57 ₡703

105.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 JMD 1,000

$8.52 ₡3,823

-25.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 JMD 227

$1.52 ₡682

-5.92%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

102.16%

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

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-4.23%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

75.24%

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

$19.74 JMD 3,118

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-45.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 JMD 8,471

$53.6 ₡24.0K

0.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 JMD 1,812

$7.89 ₡3,539

45.37%

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

$358 JMD 56.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-27.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,696

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.00 JMD 4,897

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-44.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 JMD 59.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-52.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 JMD 29.7K

$794 ₡356.2K

-76.31%

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 %)

9.45

8.62

9.63%

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

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.3% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 23.3% $56

Accommodation & Living

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 322% $606

Eating Out

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 281% $64

Getting Around

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 312% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $378 in Ocho Rios versus $788 in Nosara. 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 $63.0 in Ocho Rios versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h behind Ocho Rios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,503

4,912

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ocho Rios Nosara 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ocho Rios
Nosara

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

Ocho Rios vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,089 in Ocho Rios, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,634 per month in Ocho Rios and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ocho Rios, 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 $63.0 in Ocho Rios and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ocho Rios, where all-in costs run around $1,089, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ocho Rios 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 $1,089 in Ocho Rios 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 Ocho Rios. 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.