Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itajai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $1,002 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,002

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Itajai vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Itajai $1,002
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Itajai vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Itajai $1,225
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,448 per month in Itajai vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Itajai $1,448
Nosara $3,818

Itajai is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Itajai sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 R$29.75

$12.35 ₡5,539

-52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.47 R$205

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 R$45.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

20.35%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$4.41 ₡1,978

-42.86%

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

$1.16 R$5.88

$1.74 ₡780

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.87

$1.31 ₡587

-26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.83

$3.28 ₡1,471

-16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R$15.63

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.93

$1.56 ₡701

-37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$7.95

$3.02 ₡1,355

-48.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-58.96%

Eggs

$2.19 R$11.12

$3.57 ₡1,603

-38.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 R$49.60

$7.43 ₡3,333

31.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 R$22.87

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 R$39.44

$13.97 ₡6,265

-44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.30

$2.35 ₡1,052

-21.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.84

$1.61 ₡720

-40.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.09

$4.80 ₡2,152

-79.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.92

$1.61 ₡724

-15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.20

$3.80 ₡1,703

-78.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 R$2.95

$3.69 ₡1,657

-84.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.79

$1.13 ₡507

-33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$3.94

$2.66 ₡1,191

-70.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 R$14.97

$5.18 ₡2,321

-43.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 R$37.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.30

$2.90 ₡1,300

-70.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$9.65

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.12 ₡504

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.46

$2.14 ₡958

-40.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.21

$1.57 ₡703

-47.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 R$30.93

$8.52 ₡3,823

-28.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.81

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$23.6K R$119.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

9.36%

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

$33.4K R$169.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.22%

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

$101 R$514

$96.3 ₡43.2K

5.20%

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

$11.17 R$56.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.25 R$118

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-56.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.46 R$139

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-61.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 R$38.96

$7.89 ₡3,539

-2.53%

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

$283 R$1,435

$494 ₡221.6K

-42.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,139 R$26.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-56.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 R$369

$53.9 ₡24.2K

34.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.0 R$375

$55.4 ₡24.8K

33.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 R$496

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 R$410

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,524

$788 ₡353.4K

-36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 R$1,812

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 R$7,232

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-63.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,324 R$11.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-66.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$632 R$3,201

$864 ₡387.3K

-26.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.68

8.62

23.90%

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

Last update for Itajai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itajai

$357 35.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 122% $437

Groceries & Markets

Itajai

$178 17.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 98% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Itajai

$146 14.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itajai

$136 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 36.9% $50

Eating Out

Itajai

$133 13.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 59.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Itajai

$43 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 104% $45

Getting Around

Itajai

$8.9 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 874% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $498 in Itajai 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 37% 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 Itajai versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $352 – making Itajai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itajai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

21:59 9:59 PM

3 h behind Itajai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,054

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 19, 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 19, 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

Itajai Nosara 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Itajai
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

Itajai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,002 in Itajai, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,503 per month in Itajai 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 Itajai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,002 in Itajai and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 84%.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Itajai and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Itajai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,002 in Itajai to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Itajai. 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.