Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botucatu and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Botucatu: $701 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Botucatu
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Botucatu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Botucatu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$701

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $701 in Botucatu versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Botucatu $701
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,140 in Botucatu versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Botucatu $1,140
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,579 in Botucatu versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Botucatu $1,579
Nosara $3,818

Living in Botucatu costs roughly 62% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Botucatu is 48% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.92 R$30.00

$12.35 ₡5,539

-52.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.19 R$204

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-34.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.94 R$35.18

$7.52 ₡3,373

-7.71%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R$11.04

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.57%

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

$1.62 R$8.21

$1.74 ₡780

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.04

$1.31 ₡587

-9.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 R$14.36

$3.28 ₡1,471

-13.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 R$22.57

$4.47 ₡2,004

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$4.75

$1.56 ₡701

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R$6.45

$3.02 ₡1,355

-57.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.03

$2.51 ₡1,125

-60.56%

Eggs

$2.02 R$10.24

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R$42.81

$7.43 ₡3,333

13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 R$20.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

-62.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 R$38.59

$13.97 ₡6,265

-45.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R$11.12

$2.35 ₡1,052

-6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.93

$1.61 ₡720

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.17

$4.80 ₡2,152

-78.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.61 ₡724

-23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$3.80 ₡1,703

-63.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 R$4.82

$3.69 ₡1,657

-74.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.13 ₡507

-15.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.04

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 R$14.10

$5.18 ₡2,321

-46.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 R$35.38

$19.88 ₡8,916

-64.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.97

$2.90 ₡1,300

-59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R$13.84

$3.63 ₡1,626

-24.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R$4.40

$1.12 ₡504

-22.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$6.59

$2.14 ₡958

-39.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 R$7.28

$1.57 ₡703

-8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 R$50.2

$8.52 ₡3,823

16.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.52 ₡682

-23.03%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

10.46%

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

$33.8K R$171.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-2.19%

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

$26.44 R$134

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-72.54%

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

$9.99 R$50.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.21 R$82.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-69.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 R$40.09

$7.89 ₡3,539

0.25%

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

$292 R$1,479

$494 ₡221.6K

-40.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,319 R$32.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 R$271

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 R$296

$55.4 ₡24.8K

5.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 R$496

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 R$438

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 R$1,418

$788 ₡353.4K

-64.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 R$923

$794 ₡356.2K

-77.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 R$3,025

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-84.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 R$1,552

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-78.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$424 R$2,151

$864 ₡387.3K

-50.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

8.62

10.21%

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

Last update for Botucatu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botucatu

$182 26%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 336% $612

Groceries & Markets

Botucatu

$176 25.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 99.8% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Botucatu

$133 19%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.8% $13

Eating Out

Botucatu

$129 18.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 64.7% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botucatu

$53 7.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 253% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Botucatu

$16 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 452% $72

Getting Around

Botucatu

$12 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 628% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Botucatu and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 103% 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: $40.00 in Botucatu vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $352 per month, with Botucatu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Botucatu

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

3 h behind Botucatu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,155

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 18, 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 18, 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

Botucatu Nosara 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Botucatu
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

Botucatu vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Botucatu wins on cost – living expenses run 162% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Botucatu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 103% 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: $280 in Botucatu versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $292 in Botucatu versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Botucatu – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $701 in Botucatu versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Botucatu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Botucatu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Botucatu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $701 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Botucatu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Botucatu 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 Botucatu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 162% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.