Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Portmore vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Portmore $1,246
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Portmore vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Portmore $2,073
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Portmore vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Portmore $2,900
Nosara $3,818

Portmore is about 32% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portmore sits 8% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$12.35 ₡5,539

-17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

3.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.91%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$4.41 ₡1,978

23.13%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.74 ₡780

-48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$1.31 ₡587

-49.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$4.47 ₡2,004

-51.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.56 ₡701

93.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$3.02 ₡1,355

15.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$2.51 ₡1,125

-59.36%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$3.57 ₡1,603

1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$7.43 ₡3,333

55.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$10.52 ₡4,717

-40.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$13.97 ₡6,265

-32.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$2.35 ₡1,052

154.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$1.61 ₡720

144.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$4.80 ₡2,152

-38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$1.61 ₡724

86.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$3.80 ₡1,703

-13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$3.69 ₡1,657

-29.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.13 ₡507

40.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$2.66 ₡1,191

-52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$5.18 ₡2,321

86.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$19.88 ₡8,916

-43.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$2.90 ₡1,300

-3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$3.63 ₡1,626

-37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$1.12 ₡504

104.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-30.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$2.14 ₡958

-55.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$1.57 ₡703

96.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$8.52 ₡3,823

-26.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

99.39%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.37%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

60.79%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-19.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-15.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$7.89 ₡3,539

69.58%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

-42.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-73.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-44.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

18.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-60.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-72.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-58.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

8.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

365.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

50.64%

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 Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 4.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.5% $51

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 268% $578

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 10.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.5% $0.5

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Portmore 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.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Portmore, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Portmore versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $336 in Portmore vs $352 in Nosara – so Portmore wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h behind Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

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

Portmore Nosara 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
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

Portmore vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,246 in Portmore, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Portmore 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 Portmore, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Portmore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Portmore and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Portmore 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 $1,246 in Portmore 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 Portmore. 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.