Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Faro and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Faro and in Nosara: $1,764 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Faro
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Faro Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Faro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,764

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,764 per month in Faro vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Faro $1,764
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,627 per month in Faro vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Faro $2,627
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Faro vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Faro $3,489
Nosara $3,818

Faro is about 4% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Faro and Nosara sit above the global median – Faro by 31%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.34 €11.87

$12.35 ₡5,539

8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 €39.44

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.98

$7.52 ₡3,373

49.20%

Cappuccino

$1.81 €1.61

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.96%

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

$2.30 €2.05

$1.74 ₡780

32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.31 ₡587

30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.28 ₡1,471

-16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$4.47 ₡2,004

-42.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.56 ₡701

-32.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.51 ₡1,125

-31.47%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 €12.44

$7.43 ₡3,333

88.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 €5.35

$10.52 ₡4,717

-42.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.97 ₡6,265

-19.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.35 ₡1,052

10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.61 ₡720

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$4.80 ₡2,152

-67.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.61 ₡724

63.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.80 ₡1,703

-16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.69 ₡1,657

-43.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.13 ₡507

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.66 ₡1,191

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.79

$5.18 ₡2,321

25.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 €4.41

$19.88 ₡8,916

-75.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$2.90 ₡1,300

-67.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.63 ₡1,626

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 €2.89

$1.12 ₡504

190.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.55 €36.96

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.14 ₡958

67.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.57 ₡703

-26.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.33 €18.97

$8.52 ₡3,823

150.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.52 ₡682

33.55%

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

$33.9K €30.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.85%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.84%

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

$109 €97.0

$96.3 ₡43.2K

13.26%

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

$19.47 €17.32

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-45.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €30.89

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-35.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.21 €38.44

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-39.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.55 €19.17

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-38.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 €9.73

$7.89 ₡3,539

38.66%

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

$456 €405

$494 ₡221.6K

-7.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,829

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 €61.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

28.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.44 €38.64

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-21.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

33.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

28.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 €914

$788 ₡353.4K

30.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 €787

$794 ₡356.2K

11.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 €1,520

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,339

$1,419 ₡636.5K

6.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 €4,111

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-33.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,560 €3,166

$1,224 ₡549.0K

190.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 €1,193

$864 ₡387.3K

55.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

8.62

-58.58%

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

Last update for Faro: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Faro

$885 50.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 10.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Faro

$246 13.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 43.3% $106

Eating Out

Faro

$197 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 7.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Faro

$163 9.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 13.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Faro

$144 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Faro

$65 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.2% $22

Getting Around

Faro

$64 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 36.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Faro 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 55% higher in Faro, 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 $44.00 in Faro versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $352 – making Faro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Faro

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

19:06 7:06 PM

7 h behind Faro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,650

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Faro Nosara 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Faro
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

Faro vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,646 per month in Faro 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 Faro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $456 per month in Faro and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Faro, where all-in costs run around $1,764, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Faro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Faro – 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 Faro. 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.