Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerquilho and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $805 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$805

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $805 per month in Cerquilho vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Cerquilho $805
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,302 per month in Cerquilho vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Cerquilho $1,302
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,799 per month in Cerquilho vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Cerquilho $1,799
Nosara $3,814

Cerquilho is about 56% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cerquilho sits 41% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.97 R$35.32

$12.34 ₡5,535

-43.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 R$160

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-48.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 R$40.92

$7.76 ₡3,481

3.99%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R$9.92

$4.44 ₡1,992

-55.86%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.79 ₡803

-10.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 R$5.83

$1.29 ₡580

-10.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R$5.94

$3.24 ₡1,451

-63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.10

$4.43 ₡1,985

-32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.55 ₡696

-19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.29

$3.08 ₡1,380

-46.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.06

$2.53 ₡1,133

-52.57%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.27

$3.45 ₡1,546

-18.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 R$45.18

$7.32 ₡3,284

21.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 R$10.04

$10.24 ₡4,594

-80.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 R$30.58

$14.10 ₡6,326

-57.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.01

$2.29 ₡1,027

-13.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R$9.60

$1.64 ₡737

15.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.98

$4.79 ₡2,149

-75.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.21

$1.64 ₡735

10.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.89

$3.85 ₡1,727

-64.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 R$3.12

$3.75 ₡1,681

-83.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 R$4.61

$1.09 ₡488

-16.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$2.59 ₡1,160

-77.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 R$7.20

$5.12 ₡2,295

-72.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 R$44.55

$19.92 ₡8,931

-55.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.91

$2.80 ₡1,255

-58.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.36

$3.52 ₡1,580

-42.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.22 ₡549

-17.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.66 R$221

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-40.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 R$6.76

$2.17 ₡973

-38.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.56 ₡698

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.47 R$48.03

$8.67 ₡3,886

9.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$5.97

$1.55 ₡697

-23.87%

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

$24.4K R$123.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.47%

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

$34.7K R$175.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-10.44%

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

$43.05 R$218

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-54.60%

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

$14.29 R$72.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-60.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 R$79.9

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-70.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.01 R$132

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-64.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.01 R$142

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-21.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.79 R$39.49

$7.91 ₡3,548

-1.52%

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

$434 R$2,200

$490 ₡219.9K

-11.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,823 R$39.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-34.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.52 R$175

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-37.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.94 R$101

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-64.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 R$305

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-25.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 R$429

$77.9 ₡34.9K

8.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,794

$801 ₡359.1K

-55.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,218

$790 ₡354.1K

-69.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 R$3,443

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-83.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 R$2,388

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-66.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 R$8,696

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-75.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 R$6,209

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-0.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

8.62

29.00%

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

Last update for Cerquilho: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cerquilho

$240 29.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 229% $549

Groceries & Markets

Cerquilho

$178 22.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 96.2% $171

Eating Out

Cerquilho

$126 15.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 68.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Cerquilho

$90 11.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 35% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerquilho

$73 9.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 152% $111

Getting Around

Cerquilho

$56 7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 58.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cerquilho

$42 5.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 116% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $354 in Cerquilho versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Cerquilho versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $350 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

21:36 9:36 PM

3 h behind Cerquilho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,695

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerquilho Nosara 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cerquilho
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

Cerquilho vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 128% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,208 per month in Cerquilho and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cerquilho, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Cerquilho and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerquilho, where all-in costs run around $805, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Cerquilho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cerquilho costs $805 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cerquilho. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.