Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,381 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,381

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,381 in Brest versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Brest $1,381
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,157 in Brest versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Brest $2,157
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,933 in Brest versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Brest $2,933
Nosara $3,818

Living in Brest costs roughly 25% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brest 2% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.39 €13.69

$12.35 ₡5,539

24.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 €40.11

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-26.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.07

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.66%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.64

$4.41 ₡1,978

-32.65%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$1.74 ₡780

73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.31 ₡587

55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 €5.76

$3.28 ₡1,471

97.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 €4.81

$4.47 ₡2,004

21.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.56 ₡701

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.51 ₡1,125

2.39%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$3.57 ₡1,603

-1.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 €16.64

$7.43 ₡3,333

151.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 €9.00

$10.52 ₡4,717

-3.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.75

$13.97 ₡6,265

2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.61

$2.35 ₡1,052

25.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.61 ₡720

18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.61 ₡724

79.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.80 ₡1,703

-55.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.13 ₡507

23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$2.66 ₡1,191

-87.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 €11.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

158.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.90 ₡1,300

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.63 ₡1,626

-22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.12 ₡504

67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.21

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-45.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 €7.40

$2.14 ₡958

288.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.57 ₡703

87.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.97 €27.54

$8.52 ₡3,823

263.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.52 ₡682

32.89%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.21%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.50%

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

$141 €126

$96.3 ₡43.2K

46.74%

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

$27.20 €24.20

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-24.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 €27.67

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.05 €31.18

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-51.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.12 €13.45

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-56.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 €12.22

$7.89 ₡3,539

74.14%

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

$223 €198

$494 ₡221.6K

-54.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-4.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.43 €27.07

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 €68.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 €61.8

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-12.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 €456

$788 ₡353.4K

-34.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 €338

$794 ₡356.2K

-52.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 €784

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 €2,494

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,503 €2,226

$1,224 ₡549.0K

104.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,642 €2,350

$864 ₡387.3K

205.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

8.62

-55.68%

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

Last update for Brest: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brest

$380 27.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 109% $415

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$303 21.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 16.4% $50

Eating Out

Brest

$256 18.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 17.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$200 14.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 6.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$111 8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.6% $9.5

Getting Around

Brest

$70 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 24.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$63 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 39.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $512 in Brest and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 206% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Brest vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $352 per month, with Brest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Brest

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

8 h behind Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,619

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Brest Nosara 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

Brest vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 206% higher in Brest, 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: $512 in Brest versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,381 per month in Brest versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,381 in Brest versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brest but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Brest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brest 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 Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.