Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contagem and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $788 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$788

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $788 per month in Contagem vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Contagem $788
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,272 per month in Contagem vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Contagem $1,272
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,755 per month in Contagem vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Contagem $1,755
Nosara $3,818

Contagem is about 57% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Contagem sits 42% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 R$30.73

$12.35 ₡5,539

-50.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.50 R$155

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-50.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 R$37.10

$7.52 ₡3,373

-2.66%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.93

$4.41 ₡1,978

-60.09%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.74 ₡780

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.96

$1.31 ₡587

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.69

$3.28 ₡1,471

-59.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 R$13.05

$4.47 ₡2,004

-42.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.09

$1.56 ₡701

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.34

$3.02 ₡1,355

-39.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$2.51 ₡1,125

-45.42%

Eggs

$1.98 R$10.06

$3.57 ₡1,603

-44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$7.43 ₡3,333

35.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 R$17.61

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R$38.03

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 R$9.69

$2.35 ₡1,052

-18.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.91

$1.61 ₡720

-27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 R$4.75

$4.80 ₡2,152

-80.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.48

$1.61 ₡724

3.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-71.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 R$4.33

$1.13 ₡507

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.14

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.64 R$8.31

$5.18 ₡2,321

-68.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.04 R$30.61

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.18

$2.90 ₡1,300

-64.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.94

$3.63 ₡1,626

-62.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R$7.61

$1.12 ₡504

33.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.1 R$406

$72.6 ₡32.6K

10.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.04

$2.14 ₡958

-44.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$3.99

$1.57 ₡703

-49.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 R$31.84

$8.52 ₡3,823

-26.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.67

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

8.88%

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

$31.6K R$160.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.36%

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

$76.2 R$386

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-20.91%

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

$10.11 R$51.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-71.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.26 R$97.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-64.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.55 R$135

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-62.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.62 R$120

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-32.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R$37.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

-7.35%

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

$144 R$732

$494 ₡221.6K

-70.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,630 R$13.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-77.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 R$312

$53.9 ₡24.2K

14.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.74 R$252

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-10.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$348

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.25 R$245

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-39.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 R$1,174

$788 ₡353.4K

-70.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$798

$794 ₡356.2K

-80.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 R$2,475

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 R$1,693

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-76.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,991 R$10.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 R$5,146

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-17.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$261 R$1,324

$864 ₡387.3K

-69.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.62

23.78%

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

Last update for Contagem: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Contagem

$179 22.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 96.8% $173

Accommodation & Living

Contagem

$158 20%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 404% $637

Eating Out

Contagem

$111 14.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 90.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contagem

$106 13.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 76% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Contagem

$103 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17% $17

Getting Around

Contagem

$91 11.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4.5% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Contagem

$41 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 112% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $232 in Contagem versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 231% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Contagem versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $352 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contagem

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

3 h behind Contagem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

621,863

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 18, 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 18, 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

Contagem Nosara 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Contagem
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

Contagem vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,183 per month in Contagem and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 10% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $144 per month in Contagem and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $788, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Contagem. 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.