Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Macaé versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Macaé $885
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Macaé versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Macaé $1,498
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,111 in Macaé versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Macaé $2,111
Nosara $3,818

Living in Macaé costs roughly 52% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macaé is 34% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.49 R$27.83

$12.35 ₡5,539

-55.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.40 R$154

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-50.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 R$35.95

$7.52 ₡3,373

-5.72%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$8.63

$4.41 ₡1,978

-61.45%

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

$1.41 R$7.15

$1.74 ₡780

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$1.31 ₡587

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 R$6.26

$3.28 ₡1,471

-62.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$13.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

-38.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.56 ₡701

-37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.73

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$2.51 ₡1,125

-45.42%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.92

$3.57 ₡1,603

-45.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.73

$7.43 ₡3,333

24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 R$17.04

$10.52 ₡4,717

-68.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R$48.57

$13.97 ₡6,265

-31.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.91

$2.35 ₡1,052

-16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.61 ₡720

-24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.69

$4.80 ₡2,152

-80.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.26

$1.61 ₡724

-23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-81.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.33

$3.69 ₡1,657

-76.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.88

$1.13 ₡507

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.45

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.00

$5.18 ₡2,321

-69.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R$30.36

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.21

$2.90 ₡1,300

-64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.24

$3.63 ₡1,626

-66.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R$7.83

$1.12 ₡504

38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 R$427

$72.6 ₡32.6K

15.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 R$6.89

$2.14 ₡958

-36.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.96

$1.57 ₡703

-50.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 R$42.19

$8.52 ₡3,823

-2.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.52 ₡682

-17.11%

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

$21.7K R$110.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.38%

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

$31.4K R$159.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.01%

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

$99.6 R$505

$96.3 ₡43.2K

3.47%

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

$9.95 R$50.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 R$96.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-64.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 R$205

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.67 R$150

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-15.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$34.31

$7.89 ₡3,539

-14.20%

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

$659 R$3,339

$494 ₡221.6K

33.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,291 R$37.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-38.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$53.9 ₡24.2K

18.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 R$160

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 R$343

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.84 R$248

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-38.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 R$1,899

$788 ₡353.4K

-52.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,199

$794 ₡356.2K

-70.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 R$4,620

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-76.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-52.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,275 R$6,465

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-81.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 R$3,989

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-35.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,104

$864 ₡387.3K

-6.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.62

23.78%

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

Last update for Macaé: 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

Macaé

$237 26.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 236% $558

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$170 19.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 108% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 44.4% $57

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 101% $107

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 8.9% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$95 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$54 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 61.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $375 in Macaé and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $352 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

3 h behind Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

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

Macaé Nosara 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

Macaé vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Nosara differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $1,839 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $375 in Macaé versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $885 per month in Macaé versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 108% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $885 in Macaé versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.