Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blumenau - Santa Catarina and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Blumenau - Santa Catarina: $1,025 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Blumenau - Santa Catarina
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,025
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,025 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,837 in Nosara.

  • Blumenau - Santa Catarina $1,025
  • Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,627 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $2,775 in Nosara.

  • Blumenau - Santa Catarina $1,627
  • Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,229 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $3,712 in Nosara.

  • Blumenau - Santa Catarina $2,229
  • Nosara $3,712

Living in Blumenau - Santa Catarina costs roughly 44% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Blumenau - Santa Catarina is 24% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.06 R$35.25
$12.22 ₡5,509
-42.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.43 R$232
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-22.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.12 R$40.53
$7.54 ₡3,399
7.69%
Cappuccino
$2.48 R$12.37
$4.31 ₡1,941
-42.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 R$6.80
$1.72 ₡773
-20.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 R$4.19
$1.35 ₡608
-37.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.95 R$14.71
$3.24 ₡1,459
-8.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 R$18.97
$4.48 ₡2,018
-15.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 R$4.51
$1.57 ₡707
-42.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 R$8.41
$3.17 ₡1,429
-46.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 R$6.09
$2.42 ₡1,091
-49.59%
Eggs
$2.00 R$9.98
$3.57 ₡1,609
-43.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.08 R$50.3
$7.43 ₡3,349
35.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.40 R$21.98
$10.42 ₡4,697
-57.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.18 R$40.82
$13.66 ₡6,156
-40.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 R$11.11
$2.32 ₡1,044
-3.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 R$5.15
$1.61 ₡728
-36.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 R$7.74
$4.74 ₡2,138
-67.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 R$8.25
$1.66 ₡747
-0.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 R$7.75
$3.72 ₡1,679
-58.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 R$5.60
$3.57 ₡1,611
-68.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 R$3.91
$1.10 ₡497
-29.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$3.90
$2.55 ₡1,149
-69.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.23 R$11.12
$4.95 ₡2,232
-54.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.92 R$39.55
$20.01 ₡9,020
-60.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 R$8.90
$2.79 ₡1,256
-36.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.21 R$21.00
$3.53 ₡1,589
19.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 R$5.92
$1.19 ₡537
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.2 R$285
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-20.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.33 R$6.66
$2.24 ₡1,011
-40.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 R$2.61
$1.55 ₡701
-66.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 R$15.39
$8.86 ₡3,993
-65.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R$6.40
$1.57 ₡708
-18.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K R$116.5K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
7.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K R$164.1K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-5.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 R$602
$93.5 ₡42.1K
29.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.60 R$62.9
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-64.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.74 R$114
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-55.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.20 R$126
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-64.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.39 R$102
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-42.47%
Cinema Ticket
$6.24 R$31.14
$7.84 ₡3,535
-20.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 R$2,025
$490 ₡220.7K
-17.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,168 R$35.8K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
-39.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.7 R$373
$53.5 ₡24.1K
39.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.91 R$204
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-26.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 R$584
$79.3 ₡35.7K
47.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.7 R$493
$78.9 ₡35.6K
25.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$396 R$1,977
$786 ₡354.3K
-49.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$271 R$1,353
$780 ₡351.6K
-65.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$760 R$3,792
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-80.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$575 R$2,870
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-59.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,738 R$8,675
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-75.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,363 R$6,804
$1,201 ₡541.3K
13.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$786 R$3,923
$876 ₡395.0K
-10.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.27
8.62
19.14%

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

Last update for Blumenau - Santa Catarina: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$271
Nosara
$780 188% $509
Groceries & Markets
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$200
Nosara
$350 74.8% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$156
Nosara
$180 15.5% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$149
Nosara
$120 19.2% $29
Eating Out
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$142
Nosara
$209 47.8% $68
Getting Around
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$66
Nosara
$87 31.9% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Blumenau - Santa Catarina
$38
Nosara
$87 131% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 11% 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: $46.00 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $350 per month, with Blumenau - Santa Catarina cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Blumenau - Santa Catarina
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
05:00 5:00 AM
02:00 2:00 AM
3 h behind Blumenau - Santa Catarina
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
361,261
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 = 5.6 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Blumenau - Santa Catarina Nosara 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Blumenau - Santa Catarina
  • 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
Blumenau - Santa Catarina vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Blumenau - Santa Catarina and in Nosara?
Blumenau - Santa Catarina and Nosara differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,025 vs $1,837 including rent). Blumenau - Santa Catarina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 11% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Blumenau - Santa Catarina and in Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $396 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Blumenau - Santa Catarina – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Blumenau - Santa Catarina or Nosara?
All in, you'll spend $1,025 per month in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,025 in Blumenau - Santa Catarina versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Blumenau - Santa Catarina but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Blumenau - Santa Catarina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Blumenau - Santa Catarina and Nosara?
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.
Is Blumenau - Santa Catarina or Nosara safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Blumenau - Santa Catarina 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.
Where should expats move: Blumenau - Santa Catarina or Nosara?
Expats usually find Blumenau - Santa Catarina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Blumenau - Santa Catarina vs other spots: cost of living compared

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