Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Ann's Bay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Ann’s Bay: $1,006 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Saint Ann's Bay
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Saint Ann's Bay Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint Ann's Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,006 per month in Saint Ann’s Bay vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Ann's Bay $1,006
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $1,600 per month in Saint Ann’s Bay vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Ann's Bay $1,600
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,195 per month in Saint Ann’s Bay vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Ann's Bay $2,195
Nosara $3,820

Saint Ann’s Bay is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Saint Ann’s Bay sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 JMD 2,105

$12.36 ₡5,575

8.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 JMD 7,922

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-17.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,311

$7.88 ₡3,557

5.46%

Cappuccino

$5.46 JMD 862

$4.40 ₡1,986

24.09%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$1.72 ₡776

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$1.34 ₡603

-47.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 JMD 354

$3.34 ₡1,505

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 JMD 492

$4.54 ₡2,048

-31.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.07 JMD 641

$1.64 ₡739

148.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 JMD 589

$3.16 ₡1,426

18.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$2.39 ₡1,080

-31.80%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 547

$3.47 ₡1,564

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 JMD 1,766

$7.13 ₡3,217

57.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 JMD 978

$10.32 ₡4,655

-39.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 JMD 1,591

$13.97 ₡6,302

-27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.00 JMD 946

$2.29 ₡1,031

162.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.99 JMD 629

$1.62 ₡731

146.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.53 JMD 1,187

$4.81 ₡2,169

56.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 JMD 469

$1.68 ₡758

77.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 518

$3.91 ₡1,765

-16.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 414

$3.63 ₡1,640

-27.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 JMD 497

$1.13 ₡509

178.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 226

$2.63 ₡1,188

-45.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.30 JMD 1,467

$5.02 ₡2,267

85.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 JMD 1,802

$19.71 ₡8,893

-42.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 JMD 464

$2.91 ₡1,314

1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 JMD 636

$3.54 ₡1,597

13.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 JMD 204

$2.15 ₡969

-39.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.63 ₡738

94.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 JMD 1,016

$8.77 ₡3,958

-26.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 JMD 205

$1.55 ₡700

-16.13%

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

$43.4K JMD 6.8M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

28.12%

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

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-15.07%

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

$169 JMD 26.6K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

77.30%

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

$29.03 JMD 4,577

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-20.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 JMD 8,346

$52.0 ₡23.5K

1.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 JMD 2,114

$7.54 ₡3,404

77.85%

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

$366 JMD 57.7K

$496 ₡224.0K

-26.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,305 JMD 1.3M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-29.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.59 JMD 3,719

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-57.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 JMD 4,957

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-43.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.4K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 16.0K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

28.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 Saint Ann's Bay: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint Ann's Bay

$383 38.1%

Nosara

$351 19% 8.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Ann's Bay

$251 24.9%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 26.8% $67

Eating Out

Saint Ann's Bay

$222 22.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 4.1% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Ann's Bay

$106 10.5%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Ann's Bay

$27 * 2.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 208% $56

Getting Around

Saint Ann's Bay

$17 * 1.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 418% $72

Accommodation & Living

Saint Ann's Bay

- * 0%

Nosara

$806 43.7%

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 $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Saint Ann’s Bay vs $351 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Saint Ann's Bay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:20 3:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

1 h behind Saint Ann's Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,671

4,912

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saint Ann's Bay Nosara 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Ann's Bay
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

Saint Ann's Bay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay, $1,846 in Nosara – Saint Ann’s Bay comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,508 per month in Saint Ann’s Bay and $2,769 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 $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay and $1,846 in Nosara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.