Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $937 in Belem versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Belem $937
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,424 in Belem versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Belem $1,424
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,911 in Belem versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Belem $1,911
Nosara $3,712

Living in Belem costs roughly 49% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belem is 30% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 R$24.66

$12.22 ₡5,509

-59.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.41 R$102

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-66.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 R$33.96

$7.54 ₡3,399

-9.81%

Cappuccino

$1.90 R$9.48

$4.31 ₡1,941

-55.92%

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

$1.06 R$5.28

$1.72 ₡773

-38.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R$2.56

$1.35 ₡608

-62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 R$7.91

$3.24 ₡1,459

-50.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.48 ₡2,018

-47.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 R$7.01

$1.57 ₡707

-10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 R$12.40

$3.17 ₡1,429

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.59

$2.42 ₡1,091

-45.45%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.71

$3.57 ₡1,609

-40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 R$45.91

$7.43 ₡3,349

23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.64

$10.42 ₡4,697

-56.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 R$37.70

$13.66 ₡6,156

-44.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$11.49

$2.32 ₡1,044

-0.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.15

$1.61 ₡728

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.42

$4.74 ₡2,138

-68.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.73

$1.66 ₡747

5.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.45

$3.72 ₡1,679

-70.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 R$3.14

$3.57 ₡1,611

-82.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R$6.45

$1.10 ₡497

17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.13

$2.55 ₡1,149

-43.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 R$13.21

$4.95 ₡2,232

-46.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 R$49.60

$20.01 ₡9,020

-50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.79 ₡1,256

-48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 R$25.31

$3.53 ₡1,589

43.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.82

$1.19 ₡537

-18.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.73 R$173

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-51.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.86

$2.24 ₡1,011

-47.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 R$5.83

$1.55 ₡701

-24.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.36 R$41.71

$8.86 ₡3,993

-5.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.57

$1.57 ₡708

-15.92%

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

$23.9K R$119.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

9.60%

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

$32.5K R$162.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-6.11%

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

$98.6 R$492

$93.5 ₡42.1K

5.47%

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

$11.52 R$57.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 R$156

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-39.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.62 R$108

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-69.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.31 R$196

$35.44 ₡16.0K

10.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.04

$7.84 ₡3,535

-0.26%

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

$111 R$556

$490 ₡220.7K

-77.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,464 R$17.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-70.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.02 R$160

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-40.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 R$228

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 R$415

$79.3 ₡35.7K

5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$334

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,642

$786 ₡354.3K

-32.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 R$1,450

$780 ₡351.6K

-62.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 R$4,436

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-76.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 R$2,684

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-61.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,003 R$9,997

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-71.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 R$7,005

$1,201 ₡541.3K

16.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 R$2,105

$876 ₡395.0K

-51.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

8.62

33.18%

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

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$290 30.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 169% $489

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$225 23.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 55.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$141 15%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 27.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$103 10.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.4% $18

Eating Out

Belem

$102 10.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 106% $108

Getting Around

Belem

$46 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 90.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$37 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 134% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Belem and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 108% 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: $20.00 in Belem vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $350 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

3 h behind Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belem Nosara 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Belem
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

Belem vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 108% 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: $529 in Belem versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 108% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $111 in Belem versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $937 in Belem versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem 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, Belem 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 Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.