Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapeco and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
Learn more

Chapeco Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Chapeco versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Chapeco $980
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,454 in Chapeco versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Chapeco $1,454
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,927 in Chapeco versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Chapeco $1,927
Nosara $3,814

Living in Chapeco costs roughly 47% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chapeco is 28% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 R$28.05

$12.34 ₡5,535

-55.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.46 R$180

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-42.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 R$45.20

$7.76 ₡3,481

14.95%

Cappuccino

$1.92 R$9.76

$4.44 ₡1,992

-56.76%

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

$0.75 R$3.80

$1.79 ₡803

-58.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.98

$1.29 ₡580

-54.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 R$7.33

$3.24 ₡1,451

-55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$11.73

$4.43 ₡1,985

-47.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 R$4.56

$1.55 ₡696

-41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R$5.78

$3.08 ₡1,380

-62.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.53 ₡1,133

-15.42%

Eggs

$1.86 R$9.44

$3.45 ₡1,546

-46.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 R$41.75

$7.32 ₡3,284

12.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 R$38.20

$10.24 ₡4,594

-26.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 R$55.5

$14.10 ₡6,326

-22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$11.88

$2.29 ₡1,027

2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.02

$1.64 ₡737

-39.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.68

$4.79 ₡2,149

-88.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.54

$1.64 ₡735

-57.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.70

$3.85 ₡1,727

-86.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.70

$3.75 ₡1,681

-85.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.09 ₡488

-12.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.53

$2.59 ₡1,160

-72.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 R$11.75

$5.12 ₡2,295

-54.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 R$47.19

$19.92 ₡8,931

-53.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.48

$2.80 ₡1,255

-68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.49

$3.52 ₡1,580

-57.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.94

$1.22 ₡549

-20.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.44 R$185

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-50.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.50

$2.17 ₡973

-41.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$5.93

$1.55 ₡697

-24.52%

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

$22.9K R$116.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.79%

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

$30.5K R$154.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-21.28%

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

$172 R$873

$94.8 ₡42.5K

81.54%

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

$10.47 R$53.1

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-71.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 R$95.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-64.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.24 R$133

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-64.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.45 R$170

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-6.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 R$33.86

$7.91 ₡3,548

-15.55%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.98 R$137

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-50.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.26 R$92.6

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-67.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.87 R$187

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-54.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 R$272

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-31.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R$2,103

$801 ₡359.1K

-48.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 R$1,668

$790 ₡354.1K

-58.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,313

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 R$2,718

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-61.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,509 R$7,649

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-78.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$987 R$5,005

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-20.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$414 R$2,097

$887 ₡397.6K

-53.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chapeco

$329 33.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 140% $461

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapeco

$201 20.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 8.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Chapeco

$196 20%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 78.7% $154

Eating Out

Chapeco

$111 11.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 91% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Chapeco

$61 6.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 98.2% $60

Getting Around

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 113% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chapeco

$40 4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 126% $50

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 $415 in Chapeco and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 114% 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: $35.00 in Chapeco vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $350 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

3 h behind Chapeco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

243,477

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 21, 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 21, 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

Chapeco Nosara 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chapeco
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

Chapeco vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 114% 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: $415 in Chapeco versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $980 per month in Chapeco versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chapeco 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 Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.