Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacareí and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $869 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
Learn more

Jacareí Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$869

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $869 in Jacareí versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Jacareí $869
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,385 in Jacareí versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Jacareí $1,385
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Jacareí versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Jacareí $1,900
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 R$35.89

$12.35 ₡5,547

-42.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.77 R$159

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-48.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 R$35.42

$7.52 ₡3,377

-6.12%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R$10.93

$4.41 ₡1,981

-50.57%

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

$1.57 R$7.86

$1.74 ₡781

-9.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.63

$1.31 ₡588

-29.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 R$13.40

$3.28 ₡1,473

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R$14.92

$4.47 ₡2,007

-33.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.32

$1.56 ₡702

-19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 R$9.33

$3.02 ₡1,357

-38.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.85

$2.51 ₡1,127

-53.39%

Eggs

$2.44 R$12.24

$3.57 ₡1,605

-31.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 R$46.41

$7.43 ₡3,338

24.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 R$22.65

$10.52 ₡4,724

-57.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 R$48.30

$13.97 ₡6,274

-31.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 R$13.19

$2.35 ₡1,054

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R$9.44

$1.61 ₡721

16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.21

$4.80 ₡2,155

-61.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.39

$1.61 ₡725

16.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.90

$3.80 ₡1,706

-63.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.60

$3.69 ₡1,659

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 R$4.96

$1.13 ₡507

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.80

$2.66 ₡1,193

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$11.96

$5.18 ₡2,324

-54.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.02

$19.88 ₡8,929

-59.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 R$8.33

$2.90 ₡1,302

-42.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 R$14.82

$3.63 ₡1,628

-18.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.23

$1.12 ₡505

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.52 R$248

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-31.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.42

$2.14 ₡959

-40.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 R$7.20

$1.57 ₡704

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.37

$8.52 ₡3,828

10.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.31

$1.52 ₡683

-17.11%

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

$23.7K R$118.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

9.50%

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

$33.3K R$167.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.58%

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

$42.87 R$215

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-55.48%

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

$12.19 R$61.2

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-66.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.01 R$110

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-58.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.26 R$117

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-67.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.25 R$147

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-16.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 R$39.59

$7.89 ₡3,544

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

$286 R$1,434

$494 ₡221.9K

-42.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,746 R$38.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-34.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 R$283

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.60 R$189

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 R$480

$77.9 ₡35.0K

22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 R$301

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-24.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 R$1,715

$788 ₡353.9K

-56.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 R$1,150

$794 ₡356.7K

-71.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 R$3,616

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R$2,034

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-71.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,873 R$9,396

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 R$5,675

$1,224 ₡549.8K

-7.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

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 Jacareí: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacareí

$229 26.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 247% $565

Groceries & Markets

Jacareí

$216 24.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 63.2% $136

Eating Out

Jacareí

$134 15.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 58.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Jacareí

$112 12.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.9% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacareí

$77 8.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 141% $109

Getting Around

Jacareí

$62 7.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 40.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Jacareí

$39 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 124% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Jacareí and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Jacareí vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $352 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

10:13 10:13 AM

3 h behind Jacareí

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,275

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jacareí Nosara 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacareí
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

Jacareí vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,304 in Jacareí and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $342 in Jacareí versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $286 in Jacareí versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $869 in Jacareí versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jacareí but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Jacareí the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jacareí delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $869 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jacareí hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Jacareí 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.

Expats usually find Jacareí gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.