Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $994 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $994 in Brasilia versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Brasilia $994
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Brasilia versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Brasilia $1,593
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,193 in Brasilia versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Brasilia $2,193
Nosara $3,712

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 46% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brasilia is 26% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 R$46.05

$12.22 ₡5,509

-24.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.43 R$203

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-32.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.34

$7.54 ₡3,399

11.94%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R$13.69

$4.31 ₡1,941

-36.66%

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

$1.51 R$7.59

$1.72 ₡773

-12.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.35 ₡608

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R$11.89

$3.24 ₡1,459

-26.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 R$19.83

$4.48 ₡2,018

-11.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.55

$1.57 ₡707

-29.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.33

$3.17 ₡1,429

-35.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.72

$2.42 ₡1,091

-44.63%

Eggs

$2.56 R$12.86

$3.57 ₡1,609

-28.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 R$58.2

$7.43 ₡3,349

56.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 R$20.80

$10.42 ₡4,697

-60.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 R$46.51

$13.66 ₡6,156

-32.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.98

$2.32 ₡1,044

3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.77

$1.61 ₡728

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.54

$4.74 ₡2,138

-72.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.29

$1.66 ₡747

-0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.99

$3.72 ₡1,679

-68.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.22

$3.57 ₡1,611

-70.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.14

$1.10 ₡497

-24.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.80

$2.55 ₡1,149

-62.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.18

$4.95 ₡2,232

-50.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 R$40.87

$20.01 ₡9,020

-59.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$6.46

$2.79 ₡1,256

-53.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R$12.56

$3.53 ₡1,589

-29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.35

$1.19 ₡537

-10.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.76 R$179

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-50.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.52

$2.24 ₡1,011

-50.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.55 ₡701

-44.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 R$32.90

$8.86 ₡3,993

-25.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.47

$1.57 ₡708

-17.83%

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

$23.9K R$120.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

9.80%

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

$33.6K R$168.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-3.07%

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

$97.6 R$490

$93.5 ₡42.1K

4.45%

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

$12.78 R$64.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-63.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 R$114

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-55.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 R$173

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-51.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.17 R$141

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-20.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 R$39.13

$7.84 ₡3,535

-0.51%

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

$844 R$4,233

$490 ₡220.7K

72.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K R$84.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

41.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R$285

$53.5 ₡24.1K

5.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.89 R$220

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 R$433

$79.3 ₡35.7K

8.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 R$448

$78.9 ₡35.6K

13.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,497

$786 ₡354.3K

-36.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,413

$780 ₡351.6K

-63.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$5,802

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-70.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 R$2,878

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-59.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,497 R$12.5K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-64.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 R$8,705

$1,201 ₡541.3K

44.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$848 R$4,256

$876 ₡395.0K

-3.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

8.62

40.60%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 27.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 177% $498

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$213 21.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 63.7% $136

Eating Out

Brasilia

$161 16%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 29.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$133 13.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 35.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$124 12.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3.2% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 73.9% $37

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 91.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Brasilia and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 3% 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 Brasilia vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $350 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

23:36 11:36 PM

3 h behind Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Nosara 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

Brasilia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Nosara differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($994 vs $1,837 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% 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: $498 in Brasilia versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $994 per month in Brasilia versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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, Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.