Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diadema and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Diadema: $623 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Diadema
🇧🇷 Brazil
$623
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Diadema versus $1,835 in Nosara.

  • Diadema $623
  • Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,074 in Diadema versus $2,825 in Nosara.

  • Diadema $1,074
  • Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,526 in Diadema versus $3,814 in Nosara.

  • Diadema $1,526
  • Nosara $3,814

Living in Diadema costs roughly 66% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Diadema is 54% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.72 R$44.22
$12.34 ₡5,535
-29.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.36 R$250
$61.3 ₡27.5K
-19.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.79 R$44.55
$7.76 ₡3,481
13.27%
Cappuccino
$2.17 R$11.02
$4.44 ₡1,992
-51.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 R$6.87
$1.79 ₡803
-24.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R$4.52
$1.29 ₡580
-31.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.83 R$14.36
$3.24 ₡1,451
-12.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 R$21.67
$4.43 ₡1,985
-3.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 R$5.97
$1.55 ₡696
-23.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 R$9.48
$3.08 ₡1,380
-39.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.14 R$5.77
$2.53 ₡1,133
-54.94%
Eggs
$2.66 R$13.48
$3.45 ₡1,546
-22.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.11 R$46.17
$7.32 ₡3,284
24.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.31 R$21.86
$10.24 ₡4,594
-57.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.73 R$54.4
$14.10 ₡6,326
-23.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.70 R$13.70
$2.29 ₡1,027
17.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 R$9.36
$1.64 ₡737
12.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 R$8.18
$4.79 ₡2,149
-66.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.83 R$9.26
$1.64 ₡735
11.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R$7.23
$3.85 ₡1,727
-62.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 R$6.25
$3.75 ₡1,681
-67.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 R$4.65
$1.09 ₡488
-15.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 R$4.07
$2.59 ₡1,160
-69.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.74 R$13.89
$5.12 ₡2,295
-46.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.00 R$45.64
$19.92 ₡8,931
-54.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 R$8.58
$2.80 ₡1,255
-39.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 R$12.51
$3.52 ₡1,580
-29.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.22 ₡549
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$73.9 ₡33.1K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.43
$2.17 ₡973
-41.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 R$5.13
$1.56 ₡698
-35.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.27 R$46.97
$8.67 ₡3,886
6.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R$6.58
$1.55 ₡697
-16.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K R$120.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-30.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K R$168.8K
$38.7K ₡17.4M
-14.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.18 R$219
$94.8 ₡42.5K
-54.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.52 R$73.6
$36.15 ₡16.2K
-59.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.47 R$93.6
$53.1 ₡23.8K
-65.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.98 R$101
$73.8 ₡33.1K
-72.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$35.63 ₡16.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 R$39.73
$7.91 ₡3,548
-0.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$439 R$2,223
$490 ₡219.9K
-10.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,604 R$38.5K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-36.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.0 R$279
$54.8 ₡24.6K
0.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.9 R$293
$55.9 ₡25.1K
3.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.3 R$483
$80.4 ₡36.0K
18.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.5 R$434
$77.9 ₡34.9K
9.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$801 ₡359.1K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$790 ₡354.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$4,005 ₡1.8M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,409 ₡632.0K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,209 R$6,128
$7,064 ₡3.2M
-82.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$796 R$4,036
$1,236 ₡554.3K
-35.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Diadema
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$505 R$2,558
$887 ₡397.6K
-43.09%
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 Diadema: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Diadema
$218
Nosara
$350 60.1% $131
Eating Out
Diadema
$154
Nosara
$213 38.2% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Diadema
$132
Nosara
$121 8.4% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Diadema
$76
Nosara
$184 142% $108
Sport & Entertainment
Diadema
$36
Nosara
$90 151% $54
Getting Around
Diadema
$6.3 *
Nosara
$89 1302% $82
Accommodation & Living
Diadema
- *
Nosara
$790

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 76% 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: $49.00 in Diadema vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $350 per month, with Diadema cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Diadema
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
03:50 3:50 AM
00:50 12:50 AM
3 h behind Diadema
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
393,237
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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 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
  • Diadema Nosara 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Diadema
  • 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
Diadema vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Diadema?
Diadema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 195% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Diadema or Nosara?
On paper, salaries run 76% 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.
How do food prices compare in Diadema and in Nosara?
Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Diadema and in Nosara?
All in, you'll spend $623 per month in Diadema versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 195% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Diadema or in Nosara?
At $623 in Diadema versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Diadema but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Diadema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Diadema or Nosara more family-friendly?
For families, Diadema 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.
Which city is safer, Diadema or Nosara?
Safety-wise, Diadema 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Diadema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Diadema vs other spots: cost of living compared

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