Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barra do Garças and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Barra do Garças: $830 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barra do Garças
🇧🇷 Brazil
$830
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $830 per month in Barra do Garças vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Barra do Garças $830
  • Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,344 per month in Barra do Garças vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Barra do Garças $1,344
  • Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Barra do Garças vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Barra do Garças $1,858
  • Nosara $3,712

Barra do Garças is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barra do Garças sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.70 R$28.44
$12.22 ₡5,509
-53.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.52 R$152
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-49.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.98 R$34.83
$7.54 ₡3,399
-7.43%
Cappuccino
$1.93 R$9.64
$4.31 ₡1,941
-55.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 R$6.39
$1.72 ₡773
-25.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$3.90
$1.35 ₡608
-42.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 R$9.51
$3.24 ₡1,459
-41.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 R$14.66
$4.48 ₡2,018
-34.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 R$5.00
$1.57 ₡707
-36.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 R$8.06
$3.17 ₡1,429
-49.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 R$6.00
$2.42 ₡1,091
-50.41%
Eggs
$2.07 R$10.32
$3.57 ₡1,609
-42.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.37 R$46.76
$7.43 ₡3,349
26.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.13 R$20.64
$10.42 ₡4,697
-60.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.33 R$41.58
$13.66 ₡6,156
-39.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 R$10.79
$2.32 ₡1,044
-6.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.39
$1.61 ₡728
-20.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 R$5.64
$4.74 ₡2,138
-76.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 R$7.70
$1.66 ₡747
-7.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.15 R$5.76
$3.72 ₡1,679
-69.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 R$5.15
$3.57 ₡1,611
-71.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.80 R$4.00
$1.10 ₡497
-27.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 R$3.93
$2.55 ₡1,149
-69.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 R$11.74
$4.95 ₡2,232
-52.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.56 R$37.72
$20.01 ₡9,020
-62.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 R$6.20
$2.79 ₡1,256
-55.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 R$10.05
$3.53 ₡1,589
-43.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 R$4.90
$1.19 ₡537
-17.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.50 R$207
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-42.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.35
$2.24 ₡1,011
-43.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.81 R$4.05
$1.55 ₡701
-47.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.58 R$37.86
$8.86 ₡3,993
-14.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R$6.02
$1.57 ₡708
-22.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.0K R$114.9K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
5.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K R$157.2K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-9.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.6 R$352
$93.5 ₡42.1K
-24.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.20 R$60.9
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-65.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.50 R$102
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-60.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.10 R$125
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-64.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.14 R$130
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-26.24%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 R$34.82
$7.84 ₡3,535
-11.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$283 R$1,413
$490 ₡220.7K
-42.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,859 R$34.2K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
-42.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 R$266
$53.5 ₡24.1K
-0.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.64 R$243
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-12.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.6 R$447
$79.3 ₡35.7K
13.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.8 R$348
$78.9 ₡35.6K
-11.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$345 R$1,723
$786 ₡354.3K
-56.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$233 R$1,165
$780 ₡351.6K
-70.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$642 R$3,206
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-83.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$465 R$2,321
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-66.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,616 R$8,067
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-76.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,122 R$5,600
$1,201 ₡541.3K
-6.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barra do Garças
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$876 ₡395.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
8.62
27.61%

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

Last update for Barra do Garças: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barra do Garças
$233
Nosara
$780 234% $546
Groceries & Markets
Barra do Garças
$187
Nosara
$350 86.7% $162
Clothing & Footwear
Barra do Garças
$118
Nosara
$120 2.4% $2.8
Eating Out
Barra do Garças
$113
Nosara
$209 84.8% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barra do Garças
$103
Nosara
$180 74.4% $77
Getting Around
Barra do Garças
$51
Nosara
$87 71.1% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Barra do Garças
$39
Nosara
$87 123% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $345 in Barra do Garças 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Barra do Garças versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $350 – making Barra do Garças the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Barra do Garças
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
06:12 6:12 AM
04:12 4:12 AM
2 h behind Barra do Garças
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
69,210
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barra do Garças Nosara 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barra do Garças
  • 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
Barra do Garças vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Barra do Garças and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $830 in Barra do Garças, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Barra do Garças compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,246 per month in Barra do Garças and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Barra do Garças and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Barra do Garças, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Barra do Garças and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 74% less in Barra do Garças. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barra do Garças and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Barra do Garças and $490 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 $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barra do Garças, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Barra do Garças it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Barra do Garças and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $830 in Barra do Garças to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Barra do Garças 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 Barra do Garças and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Barra do Garças. 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.

Barra do Garças vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?