Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $974 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$974

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $974 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Guarulhos $974
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,776 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,776
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,578 per month in Guarulhos vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,578
Nosara $3,818

Guarulhos is about 47% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Guarulhos sits 28% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 R$46.36

$12.35 ₡5,539

-25.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.64 R$201

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-35.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 R$44.57

$7.52 ₡3,373

16.89%

Cappuccino

$2.61 R$13.25

$4.41 ₡1,978

-40.82%

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

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.74 ₡780

-17.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.31 ₡587

-32.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R$12.01

$3.28 ₡1,471

-27.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 R$20.63

$4.47 ₡2,004

-8.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.18

$1.56 ₡701

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 R$9.42

$3.02 ₡1,355

-38.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.72

$2.51 ₡1,125

-47.01%

Eggs

$2.57 R$13.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

-28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 R$63.5

$7.43 ₡3,333

68.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R$25.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

-52.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 R$53.9

$13.97 ₡6,265

-23.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 R$12.17

$2.35 ₡1,052

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.74

$1.61 ₡720

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.12

$4.80 ₡2,152

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.61 ₡724

-4.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.39

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$3.69 ₡1,657

-66.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.67

$1.13 ₡507

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$2.66 ₡1,191

-67.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 R$12.55

$5.18 ₡2,321

-52.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.84 R$49.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-50.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.92

$2.90 ₡1,300

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$3.63 ₡1,626

-30.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 R$6.15

$1.12 ₡504

8.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 R$519

$72.6 ₡32.6K

41.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.26

$2.14 ₡958

-42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R$3.62

$1.57 ₡703

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 R$44.85

$8.52 ₡3,823

3.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.52 ₡682

-15.13%

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

$24.0K R$121.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

11.00%

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

$34.6K R$175.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

0.25%

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

$91.9 R$466

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-4.57%

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

$14.76 R$74.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-57.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.95 R$142

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-60.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 R$51.3

$7.89 ₡3,539

28.14%

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

$436 R$2,208

$494 ₡221.6K

-11.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$56.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 R$336

$53.9 ₡24.2K

22.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 R$295

$55.4 ₡24.8K

5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 R$482

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.5 R$408

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,767

$788 ₡353.4K

-55.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 R$814

$794 ₡356.2K

-79.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 R$5,017

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,891

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-45.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 R$10.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 R$7,464

$1,224 ₡549.0K

20.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$379 R$1,924

$864 ₡387.3K

-56.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

8.62

30.51%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$228 23.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 54.4% $124

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$161 16.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 395% $634

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$160 16.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$135 13.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 43.5% $56

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$112 11.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 22.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 81.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos 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 128% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $352 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

3 h behind Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

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 18, 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 18, 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

Guarulhos Nosara 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
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

Guarulhos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 89% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,460 per month in Guarulhos 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 Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $974 in Guarulhos and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $974 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Guarulhos. 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.