Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotia and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $933 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$933

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $933 per month in Cotia vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cotia $933
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,523 per month in Cotia vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cotia $1,523
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,113 per month in Cotia vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cotia $2,113
Nosara $3,818

Cotia is about 49% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cotia sits 31% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 R$36.04

$12.35 ₡5,547

-41.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 R$200

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-35.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 R$44.52

$7.52 ₡3,377

17.82%

Cappuccino

$2.51 R$12.59

$4.41 ₡1,981

-43.08%

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

$1.42 R$7.15

$1.74 ₡781

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 R$5.79

$1.31 ₡588

-12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 R$14.25

$3.28 ₡1,473

-13.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 R$22.24

$4.47 ₡2,007

-1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.00

$1.56 ₡702

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 R$9.22

$3.02 ₡1,357

-39.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.91

$2.51 ₡1,127

-52.99%

Eggs

$2.87 R$14.40

$3.57 ₡1,605

-19.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 R$60.7

$7.43 ₡3,338

62.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.75

$10.52 ₡4,724

-56.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.13 R$56.0

$13.97 ₡6,274

-20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 R$13.88

$2.35 ₡1,054

17.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.29

$1.61 ₡721

14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R$8.09

$4.80 ₡2,155

-66.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 R$9.57

$1.61 ₡725

18.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.83

$3.80 ₡1,706

-64.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.25

$3.69 ₡1,659

-66.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 R$4.81

$1.13 ₡507

-15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.02

$2.66 ₡1,193

-69.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 R$14.18

$5.18 ₡2,324

-45.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 R$44.37

$19.88 ₡8,929

-55.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 R$8.37

$2.90 ₡1,302

-42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.51

$3.63 ₡1,628

-31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.05

$1.12 ₡505

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.26 R$243

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-33.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.42

$2.14 ₡959

-40.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 R$4.95

$1.57 ₡704

-37.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.67 R$48.63

$8.52 ₡3,828

13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.54

$1.52 ₡683

-14.47%

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

$23.7K R$119.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

9.74%

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

$34.4K R$172.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.45%

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

$43.73 R$220

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-54.59%

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

$14.60 R$73.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-59.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.30 R$92.0

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-65.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.03 R$136

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-62.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.53 R$153

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-12.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 R$39.53

$7.89 ₡3,544

-0.38%

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

$438 R$2,200

$494 ₡221.9K

-11.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,677 R$38.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-35.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$279

$53.9 ₡24.2K

2.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 R$301

$55.4 ₡24.9K

7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 R$478

$77.9 ₡35.0K

22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.2 R$428

$79.6 ₡35.8K

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 R$1,765

$788 ₡353.9K

-55.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 R$1,227

$794 ₡356.7K

-69.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$661 R$3,325

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 R$2,357

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-66.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,462 R$7,346

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-78.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,315 R$6,612

$1,224 ₡549.8K

7.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

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 Cotia: 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

Cotia

$244 26.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 225% $550

Groceries & Markets

Cotia

$230 24.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 52.8% $122

Eating Out

Cotia

$147 15.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 43.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cotia

$133 14.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotia

$77 8.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 142% $109

Getting Around

Cotia

$58 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 49% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cotia

$43 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 104% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Cotia 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Cotia versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $352 – making Cotia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cotia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

09:02 9:02 AM

3 h behind Cotia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

274,413

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cotia Nosara 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotia
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

Cotia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 97% more than Cotia, 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 $1,399 per month in Cotia 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 Cotia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Cotia and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $933 in Cotia and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 97%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cotia, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cotia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cotia costs $933 versus $1,839 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 Cotia. 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.