Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atibaia and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Atibaia: $827 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Atibaia
Learn more

Atibaia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Atibaia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$827

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $827 in Atibaia versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Atibaia $827
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,465 in Atibaia versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Atibaia $1,465
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,104 in Atibaia versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Atibaia $2,104
Nosara $3,818

Living in Atibaia costs roughly 55% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Atibaia is 39% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 R$40.67

$12.35 ₡5,547

-34.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.64 R$164

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-46.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 R$35.63

$7.52 ₡3,377

-5.72%

Cappuccino

$2.35 R$11.80

$4.41 ₡1,981

-46.71%

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

$1.37 R$6.91

$1.74 ₡781

-21.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.58

$1.31 ₡588

-30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$10.12

$3.28 ₡1,473

-38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 R$15.01

$4.47 ₡2,007

-33.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.70

$1.56 ₡702

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 R$9.22

$3.02 ₡1,357

-39.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.95

$2.51 ₡1,127

-45.02%

Eggs

$2.45 R$12.30

$3.57 ₡1,605

-31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$53.8

$7.43 ₡3,338

44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 R$24.29

$10.52 ₡4,724

-54.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 R$49.91

$13.97 ₡6,274

-28.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 R$11.09

$2.35 ₡1,054

-5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.49

$1.61 ₡721

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.92

$4.80 ₡2,155

-75.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.18

$1.61 ₡725

1.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.89

$3.80 ₡1,706

-69.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.66

$3.69 ₡1,659

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.91

$1.13 ₡507

-13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.87

$2.66 ₡1,193

-71.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 R$12.28

$5.18 ₡2,324

-52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 R$39.40

$19.88 ₡8,929

-60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R$6.81

$2.90 ₡1,302

-53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$9.53

$3.63 ₡1,628

-47.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.14

$1.12 ₡505

-8.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 R$7.65

$2.14 ₡959

-28.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 R$8.18

$1.57 ₡704

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.68 R$88.9

$8.52 ₡3,828

107.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.53

$1.52 ₡683

-14.47%

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

$21.2K R$106.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.90%

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

$31.8K R$160.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.75%

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

$81.2 R$408

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-15.71%

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

$12.24 R$61.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-65.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 R$115

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-57.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.72 R$119

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-66.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 R$101

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R$44.71

$7.89 ₡3,544

12.67%

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

$279 R$1,405

$494 ₡221.9K

-43.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K R$51.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-13.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 R$278

$53.9 ₡24.2K

2.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.29 R$192

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-30.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 R$381

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-2.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 R$302

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 R$1,492

$788 ₡353.9K

-62.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,027

$794 ₡356.7K

-74.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$4,987

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-74.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 R$3,465

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-51.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,997 R$10.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,732 R$8,707

$1,224 ₡549.8K

41.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$495 R$2,490

$864 ₡387.8K

-42.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

8.62

48.38%

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

Last update for Atibaia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Atibaia

$208 25.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 69.2% $144

Accommodation & Living

Atibaia

$204 24.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 289% $590

Eating Out

Atibaia

$139 16.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 52% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atibaia

$116 14.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Atibaia

$103 12.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Atibaia

$42 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 111% $46

Getting Around

Atibaia

$14 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 534% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Atibaia and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 74% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Atibaia vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $352 per month, with Atibaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Atibaia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

3 h behind Atibaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,647

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Atibaia Nosara 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Atibaia
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

Atibaia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atibaia and Nosara differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($827 vs $1,839 including rent). Atibaia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $297 in Atibaia versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $279 in Atibaia versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Atibaia – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $827 in Atibaia versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atibaia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Atibaia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Atibaia and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Atibaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.