Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itu and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $747 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$747

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $747 per month in Itu vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Itu $747
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,375 per month in Itu vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Itu $1,375
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,003 per month in Itu vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Itu $2,003
Nosara $3,814

Itu is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Itu sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.85 R$29.63

$12.34 ₡5,535

-52.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.82 R$207

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-33.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.36 R$32.23

$7.76 ₡3,481

-18.04%

Cappuccino

$1.93 R$9.77

$4.44 ₡1,992

-56.53%

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

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.79 ₡803

-53.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.66

$1.29 ₡580

-59.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.52

$3.24 ₡1,451

-23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 R$22.05

$4.43 ₡1,985

-1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.73

$1.55 ₡696

-27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.43

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.79

$2.53 ₡1,133

-54.94%

Eggs

$2.70 R$13.71

$3.45 ₡1,546

-21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 R$44.49

$7.32 ₡3,284

19.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.58

$10.24 ₡4,594

-60.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.17 R$31.29

$14.10 ₡6,326

-56.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.34

$2.29 ₡1,027

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.30

$1.64 ₡737

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.18

$4.79 ₡2,149

-82.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.64 ₡735

10.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.15

$3.85 ₡1,727

-73.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.21

$3.75 ₡1,681

-62.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.18

$1.09 ₡488

-23.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.48

$2.59 ₡1,160

-81.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R$14.64

$5.12 ₡2,295

-43.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 R$31.38

$19.92 ₡8,931

-68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 R$8.65

$2.80 ₡1,255

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 R$10.50

$3.52 ₡1,580

-41.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.04

$1.22 ₡549

-18.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.71 R$222

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-40.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 R$4.94

$2.17 ₡973

-55.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.15

$1.56 ₡698

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 R$47.96

$8.67 ₡3,886

9.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.18

$1.55 ₡697

-34.19%

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

$24.1K R$122.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.22%

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

$28.4K R$143.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-26.77%

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

$43.68 R$221

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-53.93%

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

$12.01 R$60.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-66.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.17 R$87.1

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-67.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.62 R$130

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-65.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 R$142

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-21.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 R$25.72

$7.91 ₡3,548

-35.90%

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

$432 R$2,188

$490 ₡219.9K

-11.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,615 R$38.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-35.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 R$256

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-7.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 R$205

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 R$351

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.27 R$250

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-36.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 R$1,639

$801 ₡359.1K

-59.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 R$1,003

$790 ₡354.1K

-74.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R$4,125

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-79.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,339

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-53.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,739 R$8,813

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-75.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,190 R$6,031

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-3.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$296 R$1,501

$887 ₡397.6K

-66.61%

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 Itu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itu

$198 26.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 299% $592

Groceries & Markets

Itu

$177 23.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 97.7% $173

Eating Out

Itu

$115 15.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 84.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Itu

$94 12.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 28.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itu

$73 9.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 153% $111

Getting Around

Itu

$54 7.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 65.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Itu

$36 4.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 151% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $323 in Itu versus $801 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 199% 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 $41.00 in Itu versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $350 – making Itu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itu

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

3 h behind Itu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,240

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 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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Itu Nosara 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Itu
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

Itu vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $747 in Itu, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 146% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,120 per month in Itu and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itu, 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 $41.00 in Itu 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 $747 in Itu and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 146%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itu, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Itu 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 $747 in Itu to $1,835 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 Itu. 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.