Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Anapolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Anapolis: $708 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Anapolis
🇧🇷 Brazil
$708
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Anapolis

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 Anapolis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $708 in Anapolis.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Anapolis $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,181 in Anapolis.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Anapolis $1,181

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,655 in Anapolis.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Anapolis $1,655

Living in Nosara is roughly 160% more expensive than in Anapolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Anapolis is 48% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$6.15 R$31.18
100.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$39.37 R$200
55.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$8.45 R$42.84
-11.01%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$2.73 R$13.85
61.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.12 R$5.67
55.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.78 R$3.95
67.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$1.97 R$9.98
66.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$3.57 R$18.09
25.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.07 R$5.40
45.79%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.96 R$9.92
54.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.36 R$6.91
84.56%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.15 R$10.92
66.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$9.28 R$47.03
-19.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$4.02 R$20.40
161.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$7.30 R$37.00
91.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.06 R$10.42
14.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.09 R$5.53
47.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$1.23 R$6.23
290.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$1.13 R$5.72
42.48%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.18 R$6.01
222.03%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.02 R$5.15
261.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.73 R$3.69
54.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$1.02 R$5.16
160.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$1.96 R$9.96
164.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$5.86 R$29.72
239.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.30 R$6.60
123.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.43 R$12.33
49.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$1.11 R$5.60
92.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$0.86 R$4.36
82.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$6.53 R$33.08
30.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.28 R$6.51
18.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$23.5K R$119.4K
-8.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$33.4K R$169.2K
3.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$60.5 R$306
59.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$9.95 R$50.4
260.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$19.93 R$101
168.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$23.62 R$120
203.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$5.98 R$30.33
31.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$821 R$4,160
-39.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$17.4K R$88.4K
-31.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$57.1 R$289
-5.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$40.71 R$206
36.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$86.6 R$439
-10.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$40.39 R$205
97.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$244 R$1,239
222.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$158 R$802
402.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$548 R$2,779
618.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$366 R$1,857
287.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$1,281 R$6,494
439.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$968 R$4,906
26.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Anapolis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$539 R$2,732
60.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
12.12
-28.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Anapolis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Anapolis
$158 80.1% $636
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Anapolis
$185 47.4% $167
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Anapolis
$132 37.7% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Anapolis
$90 51.4% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Anapolis
$101 15.8% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Anapolis
$36 59.3% $52
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Anapolis
$5.4 * 93.8% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $244 in Anapolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 60% 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 $39.00 in Anapolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $185 per month, with Anapolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇧🇷 Anapolis
🕒 Local time
23:12 11:12 PM
02:12 2:12 AM
3 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
398,869
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Anapolis 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Anapolis

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 Anapolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Anapolis?
Anapolis wins on cost – living expenses run 160% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Anapolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Nosara or in Anapolis?
Average pay runs 60% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Nosara compared to Anapolis?
Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $244 in Anapolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Nosara or in Anapolis?
Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Nosara compared to Anapolis?
All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $708 in Anapolis – a 160% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nosara or in Anapolis?
At $708 in Anapolis versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Anapolis but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Anapolis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Anapolis?
Both work as nomad bases, but Anapolis delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $708 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Anapolis hard to pass up.
How safe is Nosara compared to Anapolis?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Anapolis are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Anapolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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