Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Harbour and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $998 per month in Old Harbour vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Old Harbour $998
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Old Harbour vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Old Harbour $1,652
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Old Harbour vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Old Harbour $2,305
Nosara $3,818

Old Harbour is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Old Harbour sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 JMD 2,138

$12.35 ₡5,539

9.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 JMD 1,253

$7.52 ₡3,373

5.45%

Cappuccino

$5.24 JMD 828

$4.41 ₡1,978

18.82%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$1.74 ₡780

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 JMD 115

$1.31 ₡587

-44.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$4.47 ₡2,004

-29.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.03 JMD 636

$1.56 ₡701

158.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$3.02 ₡1,355

24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$2.51 ₡1,125

-36.65%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 JMD 1,783

$7.43 ₡3,333

51.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$10.52 ₡4,717

-39.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,628

$13.97 ₡6,265

-26.27%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 963

$2.35 ₡1,052

159.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$1.61 ₡720

136.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$4.80 ₡2,152

55.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$1.61 ₡724

90.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 519

$3.80 ₡1,703

-13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$3.69 ₡1,657

-26.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 479

$1.13 ₡507

168.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$2.66 ₡1,191

-45.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 JMD 1,459

$5.18 ₡2,321

78.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,803

$19.88 ₡8,916

-42.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.90 ₡1,300

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 JMD 633

$3.63 ₡1,626

10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$2.14 ₡958

-45.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 486

$1.57 ₡703

95.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.13 JMD 968

$8.52 ₡3,823

-28.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

107.23%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-4.92%

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

$164 JMD 26.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

70.61%

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

$29.43 JMD 4,650

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-18.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,374

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 JMD 2,062

$7.89 ₡3,539

65.40%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$494 ₡221.6K

-26.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 JMD 3,710

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 JMD 5,053

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

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 Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Old Harbour

$383 38.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Harbour

$247 24.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 24.7% $61

Eating Out

Old Harbour

$220 22%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 3.7% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Old Harbour

$106 10.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 235% $61

Getting Around

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 427% $71

Accommodation & Living

Old Harbour

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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 $74.0 in Old Harbour versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h behind Old Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,024

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

Old Harbour Nosara 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Old Harbour
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

Old Harbour vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $998 in Old Harbour, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,497 per month in Old Harbour and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour 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 9% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Old Harbour, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Old Harbour 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 $998 in Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour. 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.