Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Barcelos $1,190
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Barcelos versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Barcelos $1,885
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Barcelos versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Barcelos $2,579
Nosara $3,818

Living in Barcelos costs roughly 35% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelos is 12% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.09 €9.86

$12.35 ₡5,539

-10.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.16 €42.84

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-21.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 €7.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

17.69%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.28%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$1.74 ₡780

10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.31 ₡587

0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.28 ₡1,471

2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$4.47 ₡2,004

-36.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.56 ₡701

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.02 ₡1,355

-38.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.51 ₡1,125

-28.69%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$7.43 ₡3,333

60.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$10.52 ₡4,717

-23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$13.97 ₡6,265

6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.35 ₡1,052

-15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.61 ₡720

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.61 ₡724

56.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-54.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.13 ₡507

36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$5.18 ₡2,321

26.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$19.88 ₡8,916

-76.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$2.90 ₡1,300

-58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$3.63 ₡1,626

-39.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.12 ₡504

104.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 €19.70

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-69.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.14 ₡958

99.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 ₡703

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 €14.46

$8.52 ₡3,823

90.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.52 ₡682

41.45%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

53.60%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.62%

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

$111 €98.8

$96.3 ₡43.2K

15.33%

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

$17.73 €15.77

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-17.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 €34.27

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-46.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 €5.84

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-81.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$7.89 ₡3,539

15.59%

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

$339 €302

$494 ₡221.6K

-31.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,374 €5,670

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-46.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

34.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.75 €33.58

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 €70.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$788 ₡353.4K

-37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €318

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-50.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,651 €2,358

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-61.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 €1,343

$1,224 ₡549.0K

23.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 €954

$864 ₡387.3K

24.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

8.62

-57.08%

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

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelos

$357 30%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 122% $437

Groceries & Markets

Barcelos

$255 21.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 38.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelos

$173 14.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 7.3% $13

Eating Out

Barcelos

$173 14.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelos

$132 11.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelos

$57 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 53.9% $31

Getting Around

Barcelos

$43 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 104% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Barcelos and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Barcelos vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $352 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

7 h behind Barcelos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,766

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelos Nosara 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelos
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

Barcelos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Barcelos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $494 in Barcelos versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.