Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brades and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $936 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.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$936

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Brades versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Brades $936
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,172 in Brades versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Brades $2,172
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,408 in Brades versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Brades $3,408
Nosara $3,712

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.33 EC$49.48

$12.22 ₡5,509

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 EC$129

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 EC$32.35

$7.54 ₡3,399

58.89%

Cappuccino

$7.30 EC$19.72

$4.31 ₡1,941

69.37%

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

$2.85 EC$7.70

$1.72 ₡773

65.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 EC$4.10

$1.35 ₡608

12.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 EC$8.12

$3.24 ₡1,459

-7.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 EC$12.05

$4.48 ₡2,018

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.39 EC$9.15

$1.57 ₡707

115.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 EC$8.20

$3.17 ₡1,429

-4.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

Eggs

$7.05 EC$19.04

$3.57 ₡1,609

97.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.77 EC$15.59

$7.43 ₡3,349

-22.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 EC$24.54

$10.42 ₡4,697

-12.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.46 EC$63.3

$13.66 ₡6,156

71.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 EC$8.59

$2.32 ₡1,044

37.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 EC$11.95

$1.66 ₡747

166.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 EC$6.10

$3.57 ₡1,611

-36.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.16 EC$13.92

$1.10 ₡497

369.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$22.14 EC$59.8

$20.01 ₡9,020

10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 EC$11.65

$3.53 ₡1,589

22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 EC$4.89

$1.19 ₡537

52.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 EC$12.76

$1.55 ₡701

205.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$8.86 ₡3,993

-78.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

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

$22.2K EC$59.8K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

1.62%

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

$15.0K EC$40.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-56.56%

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

$92.6 EC$250

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-0.87%

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

$40.54 EC$109

$35.11 ₡15.8K

15.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.80 EC$126

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-9.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 EC$152

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 EC$3,544

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 EC$3,510

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-7.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,269 EC$3,427

$876 ₡395.0K

44.86%

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 Brades: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brades

–

Nosara

$780 43%

Groceries & Markets

Brades

–

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Eating Out

Brades

–

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brades

–

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Brades

–

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Brades

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Brades

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Brades vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $350 per month, with Brades cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇸 Brades

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

23:00 11:00 PM

2 h behind Brades

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

4,912

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 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 XCD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brades Nosara 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brades
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

Brades vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Brades, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you'll spend $936 per month in Brades versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $936 in Brades versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brades but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Brades the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brades delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $936 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brades hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brades 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 Brades 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.