Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braganca and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Braganca: $1,024 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Braganca
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Braganca Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Braganca

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,024

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Braganca versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Braganca $1,024
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,542 in Braganca versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Braganca $1,542
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,059 in Braganca versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Braganca $2,059
Nosara $3,814

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Braganca is 24% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.12

$12.34 ₡5,535

-7.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.02 €35.60

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-34.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 €8.13

$7.76 ₡3,481

17.78%

Cappuccino

$1.50 €1.34

$4.44 ₡1,992

-66.22%

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

$1.36 €1.21

$1.79 ₡803

-24.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.29 ₡580

-15.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.24 ₡1,451

-66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.43 ₡1,985

-48.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.55 ₡696

-29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.08 ₡1,380

-41.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.53 ₡1,133

-39.92%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$3.45 ₡1,546

-3.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$7.32 ₡3,284

31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.70 €5.96

$10.24 ₡4,594

-34.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 €10.82

$14.10 ₡6,326

-13.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.29 ₡1,027

-0.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.64 ₡737

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$4.79 ₡2,149

-62.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$1.64 ₡735

69.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$3.85 ₡1,727

-48.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$3.75 ₡1,681

-48.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.09 ₡488

11.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$2.59 ₡1,160

-63.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 €5.30

$5.12 ₡2,295

16.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.43 €3.94

$19.92 ₡8,931

-77.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.80 ₡1,255

-55.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.52 ₡1,580

-54.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-84.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 €3.37

$2.17 ₡973

74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.56 ₡698

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.30 €14.49

$8.67 ₡3,886

88.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.55 ₡697

35.48%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.65%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-0.69%

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

$109 €96.7

$94.8 ₡42.5K

14.66%

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

$16.93 €15.06

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-53.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.03 €32.05

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-32.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.37 €29.68

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-54.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.45 €4.85

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-84.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 €5.01

$7.91 ₡3,548

-28.82%

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

$333 €297

$490 ₡219.9K

-31.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,946 €8,847

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-16.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.45 €19.97

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-59.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.16 €19.71

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-60.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 €59.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 €87.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 €361

$801 ₡359.1K

-49.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 €280

$790 ₡354.1K

-60.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-81.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 €415

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-66.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,062 €945

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-84.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 €755

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-31.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,190 €1,058

$887 ₡397.6K

34.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

8.62

-58.82%

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

Last update for Braganca: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braganca

$315 30.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 151% $475

Groceries & Markets

Braganca

$232 22.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 50.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braganca

$162 15.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 13.8% $22

Eating Out

Braganca

$156 15.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 36.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Braganca

$94 9.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 28.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Braganca

$45 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 101% $45

Getting Around

Braganca

$21 * 2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 331% $68

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 $406 in Braganca and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braganca pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Braganca vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $350 per month, with Braganca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Braganca

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

7 h behind Braganca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,589

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Braganca Nosara 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Braganca
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

Braganca vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braganca and Nosara differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,024 vs $1,835 including rent). Braganca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Braganca, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Braganca versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braganca runs roughly 563% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $333 in Braganca versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,024 in Braganca versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Braganca but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Braganca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Braganca 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 Braganca 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.