Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Covilha and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Covilha: $1,184 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Covilha
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,184
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Covilha vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Covilha $1,184
  • Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,846 per month in Covilha vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Covilha $1,846
  • Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,509 per month in Covilha vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Covilha $2,509
  • Nosara $3,814

Covilha is about 35% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Covilha sits 13% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.88 €7.90
$12.34 ₡5,535
-28.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.07 €32.98
$61.3 ₡27.5K
-39.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.53 €5.81
$7.76 ₡3,481
-15.85%
Cappuccino
$1.29 €1.14
$4.44 ₡1,992
-70.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 €1.45
$1.79 ₡803
-8.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.29 ₡580
-15.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 €1.73
$3.24 ₡1,451
-39.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 €1.32
$4.43 ₡1,985
-66.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 €0.87
$1.55 ₡696
-37.42%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 €0.84
$3.08 ₡1,380
-69.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 €1.11
$2.53 ₡1,133
-50.59%
Eggs
$2.60 €2.31
$3.45 ₡1,546
-24.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.28 €6.48
$7.32 ₡3,284
-0.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.90 €6.14
$10.24 ₡4,594
-32.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.04 €9.82
$14.10 ₡6,326
-21.70%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$2.29 ₡1,027
-19.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 €1.10
$1.64 ₡737
-24.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.41 €1.26
$4.79 ₡2,149
-70.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.37 €2.11
$1.64 ₡735
44.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 €1.18
$3.85 ₡1,727
-65.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.70 €1.51
$3.75 ₡1,681
-54.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 €1.32
$1.09 ₡488
36.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 €0.41
$2.59 ₡1,160
-82.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.73 €5.10
$5.12 ₡2,295
11.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.17 €2.82
$19.92 ₡8,931
-84.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 €0.91
$2.80 ₡1,255
-63.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.24
$3.52 ₡1,580
-60.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.22 ₡549
62.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.32 €38.54
$73.9 ₡33.1K
-41.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 €3.89
$2.17 ₡973
101.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.56 ₡698
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.67 ₡3,886
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.83
$1.55 ₡697
32.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.1K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-2.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.2K €33.1K
$38.7K ₡17.4M
-3.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$129 €115
$94.8 ₡42.5K
36.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.81 €17.62
$36.15 ₡16.2K
-45.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.84 €34.55
$53.1 ₡23.8K
-26.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.19 €37.53
$73.8 ₡33.1K
-42.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.05 €8.94
$35.63 ₡16.0K
-71.79%
Cinema Ticket
$8.39 €7.47
$7.91 ₡3,548
6.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$84.6 €75.3
$490 ₡219.9K
-82.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,148 €5,469
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-48.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.6 €67.2
$54.8 ₡24.6K
37.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.01 €18.69
$55.9 ₡25.1K
-62.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 €95.3
$80.4 ₡36.0K
33.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 €152
$77.9 ₡34.9K
119.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$495 €440
$801 ₡359.1K
-38.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$392 €349
$790 ₡354.1K
-50.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$972 €864
$4,005 ₡1.8M
-75.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 €694
$1,409 ₡632.0K
-44.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,777 €1,581
$7,064 ₡3.2M
-74.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$681 €606
$1,236 ₡554.3K
-44.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Covilha
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 €892
$887 ₡397.6K
13.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.45
8.62
-59.98%

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

Last update for Covilha: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Covilha
$392
Nosara
$790 101% $398
Groceries & Markets
Covilha
$191
Nosara
$350 82.7% $158
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Covilha
$188
Nosara
$184 2% $3.7
Clothing & Footwear
Covilha
$168
Nosara
$121 28.2% $47
Eating Out
Covilha
$130
Nosara
$213 64% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Covilha
$59
Nosara
$90 51.9% $31
Getting Around
Covilha
$56 *
Nosara
$89 59.5% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $495 in Covilha 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.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Covilha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Covilha versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $350 – making Covilha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Covilha
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
15:43 3:43 PM
08:43 8:43 AM
7 h behind Covilha
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
46,457
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Covilha Nosara 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Covilha
  • 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
Covilha vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Covilha?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,776 per month in Covilha and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Covilha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Covilha and in Nosara?
Groceries cost about 83% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Covilha or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Covilha and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Covilha or in Nosara?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Covilha, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Covilha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Covilha or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Covilha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Covilha or Nosara?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Covilha. 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.

Covilha vs other spots: cost of living compared

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