Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boa Vista and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Boa Vista: $796 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Boa Vista
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Boa Vista Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$796

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $796 per month in Boa Vista vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Boa Vista $796
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,021 per month in Boa Vista vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,021
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,245 per month in Boa Vista vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,245
Nosara $3,818

Boa Vista is about 57% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Boa Vista sits 41% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.03 R$20.41

$12.35 ₡5,539

-67.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.26 R$123

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-60.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.85 R$34.70

$7.52 ₡3,373

-8.91%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R$10.36

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.74%

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

$1.12 R$5.66

$1.74 ₡780

-35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.29

$3.28 ₡1,471

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.54

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.55 R$12.91

$1.56 ₡701

63.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 R$6.90

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$2.51 ₡1,125

-56.97%

Eggs

$3.07 R$15.56

$3.57 ₡1,603

-14.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 R$50.6

$7.43 ₡3,333

34.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 R$33.78

$10.52 ₡4,717

-36.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.54 R$63.6

$13.97 ₡6,265

-10.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 R$14.05

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.46

$1.61 ₡720

-21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.79

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 R$13.41

$1.61 ₡724

64.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.12

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 R$3.96

$1.13 ₡507

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.47

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.15

$5.18 ₡2,321

-46.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.82 R$90.3

$19.88 ₡8,916

-10.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 R$10.61

$2.90 ₡1,300

-27.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 R$6.99

$3.63 ₡1,626

-61.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.93

$1.12 ₡504

-13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.70

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$27.5K R$139.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.25%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

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

$23.48 R$119

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.22 R$163

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.26 R$169

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 R$31.10

$7.89 ₡3,539

-22.18%

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

$191 R$966

$494 ₡221.6K

-61.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.64 R$125

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-54.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.36 R$93.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-66.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 R$365

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.61 R$175

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-56.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 R$1,807

$788 ₡353.4K

-54.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 R$1,317

$794 ₡356.2K

-67.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$813 R$4,120

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-88.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$790 R$4,007

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 R$3,272

$864 ₡387.3K

-25.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Boa Vista: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Boa Vista

$263 33.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 33.7% $89

Accommodation & Living

Boa Vista

$260 32.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 206% $535

Eating Out

Boa Vista

$100 12.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 111% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Boa Vista

$67 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 78.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boa Vista

$56 * 7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 234% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Boa Vista

$46 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 91.9% $42

Getting Around

Boa Vista

$3.9 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 2139% $83

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $356 in Boa Vista 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 34% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Boa Vista versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $352 – making Boa Vista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Boa Vista

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

2 h behind Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

413,486

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boa Vista Nosara 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Boa Vista
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

Boa Vista vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 131% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,194 per month in Boa Vista 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 Boa Vista, 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 $796 in Boa Vista and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 131%.

Kindergarten costs $191 per month in Boa Vista and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Boa Vista, where all-in costs run around $796, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Boa Vista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Boa Vista costs $796 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Boa Vista. 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.