Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Helier and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,351 in Saint Helier, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Saint Helier
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Saint Helier Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint Helier

🇯🇪 Jersey

$3,351

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,351 per month in Saint Helier vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Helier $3,351
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,022 per month in Saint Helier vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Helier $5,022
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,693 per month in Saint Helier vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Helier $6,693
Nosara $3,712

Saint Helier costs about 82% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Helier and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint Helier by 150%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.27 JEP 30.49

$12.22 ₡5,509

229.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 JEP 89.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

96.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 JEP 7.89

$7.54 ₡3,399

38.20%

Cappuccino

$4.71 JEP 3.57

$4.31 ₡1,941

9.28%

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

$3.33 JEP 2.52

$1.72 ₡773

93.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 JEP 1.85

$1.35 ₡608

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 JEP 5.85

$3.24 ₡1,459

138.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 JEP 4.63

$4.48 ₡2,018

36.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 JEP 1.74

$1.57 ₡707

45.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 JEP 2.04

$3.17 ₡1,429

-14.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 JEP 2.85

$2.42 ₡1,091

55.37%

Eggs

$6.12 JEP 4.63

$3.57 ₡1,609

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.17 JEP 5.43

$7.43 ₡3,349

-3.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 JEP 8.92

$10.42 ₡4,697

13.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.11 JEP 13.71

$13.66 ₡6,156

32.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 JEP 3.23

$2.32 ₡1,044

84.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 JEP 2.56

$1.61 ₡728

110.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 JEP 3.21

$4.74 ₡2,138

-10.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 JEP 3.33

$1.66 ₡747

165.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JEP 2.41

$3.72 ₡1,679

-14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 JEP 2.32

$3.57 ₡1,611

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 JEP 1.37

$1.10 ₡497

64.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 JEP 1.90

$2.55 ₡1,149

-1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.58 JEP 14.82

$4.95 ₡2,232

295.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.44 JEP 7.90

$20.01 ₡9,020

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.68 JEP 3.54

$2.79 ₡1,256

67.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 JEP 5.75

$3.53 ₡1,589

115.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 JEP 2.46

$1.19 ₡537

173.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 JEP 52.7

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-3.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 JEP 4.03

$2.24 ₡1,011

137.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 JEP 1.88

$1.55 ₡701

60.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$53.2 JEP 40.27

$8.86 ₡3,993

500.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 JEP 1.55

$1.57 ₡708

30.57%

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

$26.3K JEP 19.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

20.68%

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

$35.9K JEP 27.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

3.52%

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

$318 JEP 241

$93.5 ₡42.1K

239.97%

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

$45.82 JEP 34.69

$35.11 ₡15.8K

30.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 JEP 54.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

40.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.8 JEP 57.4

$71.4 ₡32.2K

6.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 JEP 21.22

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-20.91%

Cinema Ticket

$20.18 JEP 15.28

$7.84 ₡3,535

157.40%

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

$2,731 JEP 2,067

$490 ₡220.7K

457.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K JEP 9,051

$11.9K ₡5.4M

0.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 JEP 77.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

91.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.2 JEP 55.4

$55.8 ₡25.1K

31.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 JEP 91.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

52.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$208 JEP 157

$78.9 ₡35.6K

163.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 JEP 1,375

$786 ₡354.3K

131.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 JEP 1,201

$780 ₡351.6K

103.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,324 JEP 2,516

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-13.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,554 JEP 1,933

$1,407 ₡634.4K

81.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.6K JEP 8,810

$6,972 ₡3.1M

66.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K JEP 7,685

$1,201 ₡541.3K

745.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,528 JEP 3,428

$876 ₡395.0K

416.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

8.62

-52.67%

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

Last update for Saint Helier: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Helier

$1.6K 47.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 50.8% $807

Eating Out

Saint Helier

$484 14.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 56.7% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Helier

$436 12.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 58.7% $256

Groceries & Markets

Saint Helier

$417 12.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 16.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Helier

$227 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 47% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Helier

$116 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.1% $29

Getting Around

Saint Helier

$100 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,816 in Saint Helier versus $786 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 417% higher in Saint Helier, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Saint Helier versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇪 Saint Helier

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

00:32 12:32 AM

7 h behind Saint Helier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,522 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Jersey Pound JEP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 JEP = 1.32 USD

1 JEP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JEP – Jersey Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇪 Jersey Pound (£)

Jersey Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.757 JEP (1 JEP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.849 JEP (1 JEP = 1.18 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JEP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Helier Nosara 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Helier
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 Helier vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,351 in Saint Helier, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,026 per month in Saint Helier and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,731 per month in Saint Helier and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Saint Helier at $3,351. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Helier it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Saint Helier has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $3,351 in Saint Helier. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint Helier makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.