Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Criciuma and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $769 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
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Criciuma Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$769

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Criciuma versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Criciuma $769
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,146 in Criciuma versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Criciuma $1,146
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,523 in Criciuma versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Criciuma $1,523
Nosara $3,814

Living in Criciuma costs roughly 58% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Criciuma is 43% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.81 R$29.43

$12.34 ₡5,535

-52.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 R$113

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-63.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 R$30.09

$7.76 ₡3,481

-23.45%

Cappuccino

$1.39 R$7.05

$4.44 ₡1,992

-68.69%

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

$1.09 R$5.52

$1.79 ₡803

-39.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.71

$1.29 ₡580

-43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 R$7.90

$3.24 ₡1,451

-51.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 R$10.16

$4.43 ₡1,985

-54.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.55 ₡696

-37.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$7.55

$3.08 ₡1,380

-51.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.57

$2.53 ₡1,133

-56.52%

Eggs

$2.00 R$10.13

$3.45 ₡1,546

-42.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R$42.12

$7.32 ₡3,284

13.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 R$17.78

$10.24 ₡4,594

-65.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 R$44.15

$14.10 ₡6,326

-38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R$10.34

$2.29 ₡1,027

-10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.64 ₡737

-25.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.04

$4.79 ₡2,149

-79.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.98

$1.64 ₡735

-4.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$3.85 ₡1,727

-68.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$3.75 ₡1,681

-70.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.15

$1.09 ₡488

-24.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.52

$2.59 ₡1,160

-73.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.46

$5.12 ₡2,295

-51.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R$23.97

$19.92 ₡8,931

-76.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.68

$2.80 ₡1,255

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$3.52 ₡1,580

-60.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.08

$1.22 ₡549

-18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.09 R$203

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-45.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 R$2.54

$2.17 ₡973

-76.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.01

$1.56 ₡698

-49.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 R$11.84

$8.67 ₡3,886

-73.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.63

$1.55 ₡697

-15.48%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-32.15%

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

$30.9K R$156.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-20.14%

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

$72.1 R$365

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-23.98%

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

$12.31 R$62.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-65.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.92 R$111

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-58.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.52 R$145

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-61.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.86 R$202

$35.63 ₡16.0K

11.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R$36.25

$7.91 ₡3,548

-9.61%

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

$170 R$861

$490 ₡219.9K

-65.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,980 R$15.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-74.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.26 R$250

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-10.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.58 R$150

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-47.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 R$414

$80.4 ₡36.0K

1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.36 R$215

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-45.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,227

$801 ₡359.1K

-69.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 R$1,063

$790 ₡354.1K

-73.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 R$2,072

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-89.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 R$1,370

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-80.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 R$6,054

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-83.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 R$3,209

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-48.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$317 R$1,606

$887 ₡397.6K

-64.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.74

8.62

24.59%

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

Last update for Criciuma: 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

Criciuma

$210 27.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 277% $580

Groceries & Markets

Criciuma

$170 22.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 106% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Criciuma

$106 13.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 73.1% $78

Eating Out

Criciuma

$100 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 113% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Criciuma

$91 11.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 32.5% $30

Getting Around

Criciuma

$49 6.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 82.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Criciuma

$43 5.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 109% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Criciuma and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 180% 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: $22.00 in Criciuma vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $350 per month, with Criciuma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

3 h behind Criciuma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,493

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 20, 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 20, 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

Criciuma Nosara 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Criciuma
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

Criciuma vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Criciuma is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 180% 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: $242 in Criciuma versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Criciuma runs roughly 84% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $170 in Criciuma versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $769 in Criciuma versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Criciuma but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Criciuma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Criciuma is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Criciuma 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 Criciuma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.