Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joinville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Joinville: $919 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Joinville
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Joinville Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Joinville

🇧🇷 Brazil

$919

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $919 per month in Joinville vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Joinville $919
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,553 per month in Joinville vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Joinville $1,553
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,187 per month in Joinville vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Joinville $2,187
Nosara $3,712

Joinville is about 50% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Joinville sits 31% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 R$42.93

$12.22 ₡5,509

-29.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.98 R$250

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-16.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 R$34.31

$7.54 ₡3,399

-8.89%

Cappuccino

$1.91 R$9.52

$4.31 ₡1,941

-55.68%

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

$1.12 R$5.58

$1.72 ₡773

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.39

$1.35 ₡608

-64.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 R$16.66

$3.24 ₡1,459

3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R$12.18

$4.48 ₡2,018

-45.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.04

$1.57 ₡707

-35.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.17 ₡1,429

-59.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.05

$2.42 ₡1,091

-58.26%

Eggs

$2.91 R$14.54

$3.57 ₡1,609

-18.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 R$41.85

$7.43 ₡3,349

12.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 R$16.17

$10.42 ₡4,697

-68.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 R$33.15

$13.66 ₡6,156

-51.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.87

$2.32 ₡1,044

-23.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.81

$1.61 ₡728

-27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.18

$4.74 ₡2,138

-69.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$8.94

$1.66 ₡747

7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.55

$3.72 ₡1,679

-64.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.32

$3.57 ₡1,611

-64.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 R$7.59

$1.10 ₡497

38.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.09

$2.55 ₡1,149

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 R$16.35

$4.95 ₡2,232

-33.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.55 R$47.67

$20.01 ₡9,020

-52.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 R$5.53

$2.79 ₡1,256

-60.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 R$16.14

$3.53 ₡1,589

-8.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.19 ₡537

8.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.3 R$301

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-16.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 R$9.72

$2.24 ₡1,011

-12.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 R$8.20

$1.55 ₡701

5.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.88 R$49.31

$8.86 ₡3,993

11.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.49

$1.57 ₡708

-17.20%

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

$24.5K R$122.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

12.51%

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

$33.6K R$167.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-3.10%

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

$60.2 R$300

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-35.60%

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

$11.53 R$57.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.45 R$107

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-58.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.15 R$136

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-61.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 R$139

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-21.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.96 R$44.70

$7.84 ₡3,535

14.29%

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

$318 R$1,587

$490 ₡220.7K

-35.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,640 R$33.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-44.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 R$231

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.2 R$470

$55.8 ₡25.1K

68.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 R$447

$79.3 ₡35.7K

12.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 R$350

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R$2,126

$786 ₡354.3K

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 R$1,286

$780 ₡351.6K

-66.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 R$3,820

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-80.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 R$2,752

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-60.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 R$9,699

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-72.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,288 R$6,429

$1,201 ₡541.3K

7.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$695 R$3,468

$876 ₡395.0K

-20.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

8.62

21.81%

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

Last update for Joinville: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joinville

$258 27.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 203% $522

Groceries & Markets

Joinville

$186 20%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 87.7% $163

Eating Out

Joinville

$140 15%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 49.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Joinville

$135 14.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 10.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joinville

$93 10%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 93.2% $87

Getting Around

Joinville

$76 8.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Joinville

$45 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 93.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Joinville versus $786 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 26% 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 $50.0 in Joinville versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $350 – making Joinville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joinville

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

3 h behind Joinville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

616,317

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Joinville Nosara 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Joinville
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

Joinville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 100% more than Joinville, 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 $1,378 per month in Joinville and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Joinville, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Joinville and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Joinville, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Joinville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Joinville costs $919 versus $1,837 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 Joinville. 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.