Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Goiana and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Goiana: $858 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Goiana
🇧🇷 Brazil
$858
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $858 in Goiana versus $1,837 in Nosara.

  • Goiana $858
  • Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,393 in Goiana versus $2,775 in Nosara.

  • Goiana $1,393
  • Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,928 in Goiana versus $3,712 in Nosara.

  • Goiana $1,928
  • Nosara $3,712

Living in Goiana costs roughly 53% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Goiana is 36% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.46 R$27.25
$12.22 ₡5,509
-55.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.62 R$193
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-35.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.82 R$49.04
$7.54 ₡3,399
30.24%
Cappuccino
$2.60 R$12.97
$4.31 ₡1,941
-39.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 R$5.55
$1.72 ₡773
-35.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 R$3.00
$1.35 ₡608
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 R$8.14
$3.24 ₡1,459
-49.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 R$16.41
$4.48 ₡2,018
-26.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 R$7.30
$1.57 ₡707
-7.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 R$8.12
$3.17 ₡1,429
-48.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 R$8.35
$2.42 ₡1,091
-30.99%
Eggs
$1.95 R$9.74
$3.57 ₡1,609
-45.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.36 R$36.73
$7.43 ₡3,349
-0.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.43 R$22.09
$10.42 ₡4,697
-57.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.83 R$34.10
$13.66 ₡6,156
-50.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.05
$2.32 ₡1,044
-39.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.35 R$6.72
$1.61 ₡728
-16.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.76 R$3.81
$4.74 ₡2,138
-83.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 R$6.35
$1.66 ₡747
-23.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.44 R$7.18
$3.72 ₡1,679
-61.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 R$5.57
$3.57 ₡1,611
-68.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.48 R$2.41
$1.10 ₡497
-56.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 R$4.21
$2.55 ₡1,149
-67.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.84 R$9.16
$4.95 ₡2,232
-62.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.16 R$40.71
$20.01 ₡9,020
-59.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R$5.71
$2.79 ₡1,256
-59.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 R$7.62
$3.53 ₡1,589
-56.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 R$4.77
$1.19 ₡537
-19.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.73 R$188
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-47.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 R$6.01
$2.24 ₡1,011
-46.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 R$3.74
$1.55 ₡701
-51.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.57 R$17.81
$8.86 ₡3,993
-59.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 R$5.24
$1.57 ₡708
-33.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K R$119.5K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
9.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K R$162.8K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-5.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.2 R$401
$93.5 ₡42.1K
-14.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 R$66.7
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-61.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.06 R$90.2
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-64.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.99 R$130
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-63.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.91 R$149
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-15.60%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 R$43.48
$7.84 ₡3,535
11.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$236 R$1,178
$490 ₡220.7K
-51.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K R$59.5K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
0.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.31 R$226
$53.5 ₡24.1K
-15.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.9 R$254
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-8.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.2 R$316
$79.3 ₡35.7K
-20.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.6 R$407
$78.9 ₡35.6K
3.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$367 R$1,831
$786 ₡354.3K
-53.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$272 R$1,358
$780 ₡351.6K
-65.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$609 R$3,040
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-84.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 R$2,296
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-67.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,843 R$9,202
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-73.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,189 R$5,937
$1,201 ₡541.3K
-0.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Goiana
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$580 R$2,897
$876 ₡395.0K
-33.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.75
8.62
36.31%

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

Last update for Goiana: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Goiana
$272
Nosara
$780 187% $508
Groceries & Markets
Goiana
$178
Nosara
$350 96% $171
Eating Out
Goiana
$126
Nosara
$209 66.4% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Goiana
$112
Nosara
$180 61.2% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Goiana
$108
Nosara
$120 10.9% $12
Getting Around
Goiana
$47
Nosara
$87 86.7% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Goiana
$43
Nosara
$87 101% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $367 in Goiana and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 51% 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: $39.00 in Goiana vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $350 per month, with Goiana cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Goiana
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
11:04 11:04 AM
08:04 8:04 AM
3 h behind Goiana
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
81,055
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Goiana Nosara 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Goiana
  • 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
Goiana vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Goiana and in Nosara?
Goiana and Nosara differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($858 vs $1,837 including rent). Goiana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 51% 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 apartment prices compare in Goiana and in Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $367 in Goiana versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Goiana – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Goiana or Nosara?
All in, you'll spend $858 per month in Goiana versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 114% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $858 in Goiana versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Goiana but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Goiana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Goiana and Nosara?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Goiana or Nosara safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Goiana 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.
Where should expats move: Goiana or Nosara?
Expats usually find Goiana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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