Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Americana

For one person, living is cheaper in Americana: $886 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Americana
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Americana Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Americana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Americana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Americana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $886 in Americana.

Nosara $1,835
Americana $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,400 in Americana.

Nosara $2,825
Americana $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,914 in Americana.

Nosara $3,814
Americana $1,914

Living in Nosara is roughly 107% more expensive than in Americana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Americana is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.84 R$29.61

111.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$24.19 R$123

153.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.10 R$41.07

-4.20%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.08 R$10.54

113.46%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.83 R$9.26

-2.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.26 R$6.39

2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.47 R$7.44

120.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.46 R$12.46

80.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.03 R$5.20

50.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.73 R$8.78

78.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.30 R$6.57

94.62%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.18 R$11.07

58.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.17 R$46.48

-20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.34 R$22.02

135.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$8.33 R$42.21

69.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.24 R$11.36

2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.25 R$6.35

31.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.23 R$6.24

289.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.47 R$7.43

11.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.21 R$6.15

218.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.09 R$5.52

244.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.84 R$4.25

29.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.78 R$3.97

232.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.30 R$11.64

122.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.93 R$45.26

123.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.35 R$6.83

107.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.07 R$10.49

70.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.01 R$5.11

20.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.79 R$222

68.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.31 R$6.64

65.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.86 R$4.34

81.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$7.94 R$40.25

9.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.22 R$6.17

27.05%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.7K R$120.2K

45.71%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$33.7K R$171.1K

14.83%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$55.8 R$283

70.08%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$12.50 R$63.3

189.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$22.40 R$114

136.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$18.79 R$95.3

292.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$27.75 R$141

28.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.15 R$36.27

10.63%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$280 R$1,417

75.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,188 R$36.4K

65.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$78.7 R$399

-30.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$66.5 R$337

-16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$111 R$562

-27.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$85.5 R$433

-8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$355 R$1,799

125.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$241 R$1,220

228.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$681 R$3,452

488.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$467 R$2,366

201.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,734 R$8,792

307.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,215 R$6,160

1.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$748 R$3,792

18.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Americana: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Americana

$241 27.2% 69.5% $549

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Americana

$194 21.9% 44.5% $156

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Americana

$121 13.6% 43.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Americana

$91 10.2% 50.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Americana

$154 17.3% 27% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Americana

$33 3.7% 63.1% $57

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Americana

$53 6% 39.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $355 in Americana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 19% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $24.00 in Americana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $194 per month, with Americana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Americana

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

237,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Americana 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Americana

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

Nosara vs Americana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Americana wins on cost – living expenses run 107% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Americana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Nosara, 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: $801 in Nosara versus $355 in Americana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Americana runs roughly 69% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $280 in Americana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $886 in Americana versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Americana but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Americana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Americana delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $886 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Americana hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Americana 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 Americana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.