Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barreiro and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Barreiro: $1,672 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Barreiro
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Barreiro Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Barreiro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,672

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,672 per month in Barreiro vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Barreiro $1,672
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,346 per month in Barreiro vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Barreiro $2,346
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,019 per month in Barreiro vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Barreiro $3,019
Nosara $3,818

Barreiro is about 9% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barreiro and Nosara sit above the global median – Barreiro by 24%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.77 €14.03

$12.35 ₡5,539

27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.47 €39.56

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 €8.61

$7.52 ₡3,373

28.72%

Cappuccino

$2.46 €2.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.22%

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

$2.14 €1.91

$1.74 ₡780

22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.31 ₡587

66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.96

$3.28 ₡1,471

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.56 ₡701

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.06%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$3.57 ₡1,603

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 €8.11

$7.43 ₡3,333

22.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$10.52 ₡4,717

-24.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.17 €13.49

$13.97 ₡6,265

8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.61 ₡720

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.80 ₡2,152

-57.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.61 ₡724

-8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.69 ₡1,657

-55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.13 ₡507

49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.60

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 €5.14

$5.18 ₡2,321

11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 €5.50

$19.88 ₡8,916

-68.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$3.63 ₡1,626

-69.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.12 ₡504

26.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.31 €39.41

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.14 ₡958

7.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.57 ₡703

-51.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.14

$8.52 ₡3,823

99.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.52 ₡682

34.21%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

58.07%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.21%

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

$110 €97.7

$96.3 ₡43.2K

14.03%

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

$21.19 €18.85

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-40.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.54 €31.62

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-33.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.97 €32.89

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-48.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 €12.05

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-61.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.88 €7.90

$7.89 ₡3,539

12.55%

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

$604 €538

$494 ₡221.6K

22.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,914

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 €69.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

43.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.19 €33.08

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

8.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.2

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €852

$788 ₡353.4K

21.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €706

$794 ₡356.2K

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,311

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-62.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 €929

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-26.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,877 €3,449

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-43.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,745 €2,442

$1,224 ₡549.0K

124.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$910 €810

$864 ₡387.3K

5.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

8.62

-57.42%

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

Last update for Barreiro: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barreiro

$794 47.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Barreiro

$239 14.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.6% $114

Eating Out

Barreiro

$225 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barreiro

$167 10%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barreiro

$137 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.3% $17

Getting Around

Barreiro

$56 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 55.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Barreiro

$55 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 59.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Barreiro 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 5% higher in Barreiro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Barreiro versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $352 – making Barreiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barreiro

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

08:25 8:25 AM

7 h behind Barreiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,359

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 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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barreiro Nosara 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barreiro
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

Barreiro vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,672 in Barreiro, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,508 per month in Barreiro and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barreiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,672 in Barreiro and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Barreiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Barreiro, where all-in costs run around $1,672, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Barreiro 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 $1,672 in Barreiro to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Barreiro. 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.