Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Jamaica and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,285 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,285
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,988
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,690 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,690
Nosara $3,820

Santa Cruz is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Santa Cruz sits 6% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 JMD 1,163

$12.36 ₡5,575

-40.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

4.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 JMD 1,016

$7.88 ₡3,557

-18.15%

Cappuccino

$5.34 JMD 842

$4.40 ₡1,986

21.36%

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

$1.16 JMD 182

$1.72 ₡776

-32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 119

$1.34 ₡603

-44.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$3.34 ₡1,505

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 485

$4.54 ₡2,048

-32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.04 JMD 638

$1.64 ₡739

146.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 JMD 406

$3.16 ₡1,426

-18.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JMD 248

$2.39 ₡1,080

-34.31%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$3.47 ₡1,564

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,787

$7.13 ₡3,217

58.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$10.32 ₡4,655

-37.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 JMD 1,641

$13.97 ₡6,302

-25.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.97 JMD 941

$2.29 ₡1,031

160.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 JMD 604

$1.62 ₡731

136.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.43 JMD 1,171

$4.81 ₡2,169

54.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 474

$1.68 ₡758

79.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$3.91 ₡1,765

-15.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$3.63 ₡1,640

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$1.13 ₡509

166.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$2.63 ₡1,188

-44.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 JMD 1,494

$5.02 ₡2,267

88.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 JMD 1,818

$19.71 ₡8,893

-41.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 JMD 456

$2.91 ₡1,314

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 JMD 632

$3.54 ₡1,597

13.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 201

$2.15 ₡969

-40.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 JMD 492

$1.63 ₡738

91.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 JMD 966

$8.77 ₡3,958

-30.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.55 ₡700

-10.32%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

32.35%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-15.39%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

74.51%

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

$29.57 JMD 4,664

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-18.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,165

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-0.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.40 JMD 6,055

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-43.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 JMD 2,119

$7.54 ₡3,404

78.25%

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

$359 JMD 56.6K

$496 ₡224.0K

-27.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-31.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.66 JMD 3,731

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-57.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.85 JMD 5,022

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-43.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 15.9K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

27.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 JMD 49.0K

$806 ₡363.6K

-61.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 JMD 78.8K

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-65.05%

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)

$408 JMD 64.3K

$888 ₡400.7K

-54.05%

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 Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9%

Nosara

$351 19% 5.4% $20

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 159% $495

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 25.8% $64

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$168 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 27.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 26.6% $17

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 426% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Nosara are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Santa Cruz versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

1 h behind Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,217

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Nosara 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,285 in Santa Cruz, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,928 per month in Santa Cruz 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 $64 in Santa Cruz 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 5% 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 Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Santa Cruz 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 $1,285 in Santa Cruz to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Cruz. 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.