Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matosinhos and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Matosinhos and in Nosara: $1,926 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

93

Cost of Living Index in Matosinhos
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Matosinhos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,926

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,926 in Matosinhos versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Matosinhos $1,926
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,803 in Matosinhos versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Matosinhos $2,803
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,680 in Matosinhos versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Matosinhos $3,680
Nosara $3,818

Living in Matosinhos is roughly 5% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Matosinhos 43% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €11.93

$12.35 ₡5,539

8.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.70 €42.43

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-22.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.81

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.78%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.00%

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

$2.07 €1.84

$1.74 ₡780

18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.31 ₡587

15.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.94

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.56 ₡701

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$3.02 ₡1,355

-44.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.51 ₡1,125

-32.27%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$3.57 ₡1,603

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 €10.33

$7.43 ₡3,333

56.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 €6.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

-31.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$13.97 ₡6,265

2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.35 ₡1,052

-7.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.61 ₡720

-6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.61 ₡724

53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.69 ₡1,657

-49.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.13 ₡507

35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$5.18 ₡2,321

24.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.63 ₡1,626

-42.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.12 ₡504

141.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.29

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 €3.98

$2.14 ₡958

108.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.57 ₡703

-48.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.19 €12.62

$8.52 ₡3,823

66.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.52 ₡682

40.13%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

55.84%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.44%

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

$158 €141

$96.3 ₡43.2K

64.60%

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

$22.04 €19.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-38.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.78 €29.15

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 €55.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-12.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-36.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 €8.18

$7.89 ₡3,539

16.60%

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

$567 €504

$494 ₡221.6K

14.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,324

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-11.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

77.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.94 €32.86

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,032

$788 ₡353.4K

47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €866

$794 ₡356.2K

22.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 €1,979

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-43.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,397

$1,419 ₡636.5K

10.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,850

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-37.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,785 €3,367

$1,224 ₡549.0K

209.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,565 €1,392

$864 ₡387.3K

81.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

8.62

-57.42%

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

Last update for Matosinhos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matosinhos

$973 50.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 18.4% $179

Groceries & Markets

Matosinhos

$248 12.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 42.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matosinhos

$213 11.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.9% $28

Eating Out

Matosinhos

$201 10.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Matosinhos

$147 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Matosinhos

$81 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Matosinhos

$64 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 37.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Matosinhos and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Matosinhos pays 81% 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: $48.00 in Matosinhos vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $352 per month, with Matosinhos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

7 h behind Matosinhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,586

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matosinhos Nosara 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Matosinhos
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

Matosinhos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Matosinhos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Matosinhos versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,926 per month in Matosinhos versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 64% less than in Matosinhos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,926 in Matosinhos, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Matosinhos. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Matosinhos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Matosinhos 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Matosinhos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.