Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cascais outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
Learn more

Cascais Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,157

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,157 in Cascais versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Cascais $2,157
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Cascais versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Cascais $3,481
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,805 in Cascais versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Cascais $4,805
Nosara $3,818

Living in Cascais is roughly 17% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cascais 60% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 €13.62

$12.35 ₡5,539

23.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.46 €39.55

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 €8.24

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.14%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.30

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.27%

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

$2.04 €1.81

$1.74 ₡780

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ₡587

67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$4.47 ₡2,004

26.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.56 ₡701

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.46%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 €9.51

$7.43 ₡3,333

44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 €6.10

$10.52 ₡4,717

-34.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 €13.51

$13.97 ₡6,265

8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.61 ₡720

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$4.80 ₡2,152

-48.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.61 ₡724

34.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$3.69 ₡1,657

-36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.13 ₡507

44.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.66 ₡1,191

-59.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.08

$5.18 ₡2,321

10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 €6.74

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$2.90 ₡1,300

-57.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.63 ₡1,626

20.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.12 ₡504

120.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.24 €39.35

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.14 ₡958

6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.52 ₡682

38.82%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.26%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.15%

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

$133 €119

$96.3 ₡43.2K

38.44%

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

$24.80 €22.06

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-30.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.83

$53.6 ₡24.0K

4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 €59.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-6.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 €10.06

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-67.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 €6.29

$7.89 ₡3,539

-10.39%

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

$719 €639

$494 ₡221.6K

45.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

54.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 €70.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

46.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 €34.08

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-30.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

34.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$79.6 ₡35.7K

67.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$788 ₡353.4K

123.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$794 ₡356.2K

44.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,833 €3,409

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-2.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 €2,318

$1,419 ₡636.5K

83.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,062

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-1.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,833 €4,299

$1,224 ₡549.0K

294.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,264 €2,014

$864 ₡387.3K

162.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

8.62

-57.42%

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

Last update for Cascais: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cascais

$1.1K 53.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 30.9% $356

Groceries & Markets

Cascais

$270 12.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30.6% $82

Eating Out

Cascais

$226 10.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 6.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascais

$214 9.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 13.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cascais

$160 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cascais

$81 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8% $6.5

Getting Around

Cascais

$56 * 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 54.4% $31

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 $1,763 in Cascais and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 162% 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: $44.00 in Cascais vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $352 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Cascais

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

7 h behind Cascais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,158

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Cascais Nosara 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cascais
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

Cascais vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Cascais, 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: $1,763 in Cascais versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $44.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,157 in Cascais, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cascais, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cascais 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.