Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almada and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Almada and in Nosara: $1,834 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

Almada
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,834
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,834 per month in Almada vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Almada $1,834
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,675 per month in Almada vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Almada $2,675
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,517 per month in Almada vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Almada $3,517
  • Nosara $3,818

Almada and Nosara have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Almada and Nosara sit above the global median – Almada by 36%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.72 €14.88
$12.35 ₡5,539
35.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.5 €50.3
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-7.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.32 €10.07
$7.52 ₡3,373
50.53%
Cappuccino
$2.47 €2.20
$4.41 ₡1,978
-43.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.74 ₡780
-11.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.05
$1.31 ₡587
-9.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 €2.96
$3.28 ₡1,471
1.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.94
$4.47 ₡2,004
-25.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.56 ₡701
-33.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 €1.08
$3.02 ₡1,355
-59.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.34
$2.51 ₡1,125
-39.84%
Eggs
$3.81 €3.39
$3.57 ₡1,603
6.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.09 €10.75
$7.43 ₡3,333
62.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.71 €6.86
$10.52 ₡4,717
-26.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.27 €13.58
$13.97 ₡6,265
9.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 €1.99
$2.35 ₡1,052
-4.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 €1.15
$1.61 ₡720
-19.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$4.80 ₡2,152
-61.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.53 €2.25
$1.61 ₡724
57.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.80 ₡1,703
-51.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$3.69 ₡1,657
-53.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.67 €1.48
$1.13 ₡507
47.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$2.66 ₡1,191
-71.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.27 €5.57
$5.18 ₡2,321
21.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.46 €4.85
$19.88 ₡8,916
-72.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.19
$2.90 ₡1,300
-53.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 €1.93
$3.63 ₡1,626
-40.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Almada
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.12 €1.88
$1.12 ₡504
89.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.21 €39.32
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-39.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 €3.53
$2.14 ₡958
85.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.57 ₡703
-47.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.49 €14.67
$8.52 ₡3,823
93.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.52 ₡682
36.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.3K €29.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
54.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.2K €34.0K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
10.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 €97.9
$96.3 ₡43.2K
14.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.05 €16.94
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-46.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.08 €28.53
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-40.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.54 €32.50
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-48.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.87 €13.23
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-57.40%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 €7.74
$7.89 ₡3,539
10.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$603 €536
$494 ₡221.6K
22.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €10.1K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-4.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.5
$53.9 ₡24.2K
92.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.91 €39.94
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-18.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 €75.2
$77.9 ₡34.9K
8.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 €93.2
$79.6 ₡35.7K
31.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almada
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,144 €1,017
$788 ₡353.4K
45.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$924 €822
$794 ₡356.2K
16.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,730 €1,539
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-56.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,401 €1,246
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-1.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,160 €4,590
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-25.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,232 €2,875
$1,224 ₡549.0K
164.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almada
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,313 €1,168
$864 ₡387.3K
52.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.54
8.62
-58.93%

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

Last update for Almada: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almada
$924
Nosara
$794 14% $130
Groceries & Markets
Almada
$250
Nosara
$352 40.8% $102
Eating Out
Almada
$231
Nosara
$212 8.5% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almada
$161
Nosara
$186 15.3% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Almada
$152
Nosara
$120 21.1% $32
Getting Around
Almada
$61
Nosara
$87 43.4% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Almada
$54
Nosara
$87 61.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,144 in Almada 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 52% higher in Almada. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Almada versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $352 – making Almada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Almada
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
03:32 3:32 AM
20:32 8:32 PM
7 h behind Almada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
177,268
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almada Nosara 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almada
  • 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
Almada vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What salary covers living expenses in Almada compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,751 per month in Almada and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Almada and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Almada, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 41% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Almada and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Almada and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Almada, where all-in costs run around $1,834, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Almada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Almada and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,834 in Almada to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Almada or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Almada and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Almada. 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.

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