Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Balneario Camboriu

For one person, living is cheaper in Balneario Camboriu: $963 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Balneario Camboriu
Learn more

Balneario Camboriu Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Balneario Camboriu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Balneario Camboriu

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $963 in Balneario Camboriu, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Balneario Camboriu $963

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,607 in Balneario Camboriu, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Balneario Camboriu $1,607

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,251 in Balneario Camboriu, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Balneario Camboriu $2,251

Nosara costs about 91% more than Balneario Camboriu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Balneario Camboriu is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$6.84 R$34.39

80.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$39.90 R$201

53.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$7.74 R$38.88

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$2.44 R$12.25

80.74%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.19 R$5.99

46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.95 R$4.77

37.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.98 R$9.94

65.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$2.38 R$11.96

87.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.02 R$5.12

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.56 R$7.85

93.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$0.98 R$4.92

156.12%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.12 R$10.64

68.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$8.55 R$42.96

-13.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$4.58 R$23.02

129.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$7.54 R$37.88

85.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.80 R$9.06

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.03 R$5.16

56.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$1.03 R$5.18

366.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.40 R$7.02

15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.83 R$4.17

357.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$0.58 R$2.92

536.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.74 R$3.73

52.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.76 R$3.84

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$3.10 R$15.57

67.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$7.61 R$38.23

161.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.10 R$5.53

163.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$1.89 R$9.49

92.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.98 R$4.90

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.99 R$60.3

505.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$1.27 R$6.39

68.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$0.83 R$4.17

89.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$5.90 R$29.67

44.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.33 R$6.68

14.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.0K R$120.9K

-10.14%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.6K R$169.0K

2.69%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$98.0 R$493

-1.76%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.20 R$56.3

220.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$20.84 R$105

157.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.21 R$187

92.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.80 R$79.4

120.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$7.43 R$37.33

6.19%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$286 R$1,438

72.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,247 R$26.4K

126.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.2 R$283

-4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$56.8 R$286

-2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$96.9 R$487

-19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$82.5 R$415

-3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$452 R$2,273

74.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$322 R$1,618

146.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,907 R$9,585

106.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$791 R$3,978

79.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,624 R$18.2K

90.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$2,452 R$12.3K

-50.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$503 R$2,529

71.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.68

-19.29%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Balneario Camboriu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Balneario Camboriu

$322 33.4% 59.5% $472

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Balneario Camboriu

$176 18.3% 50.1% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Balneario Camboriu

$130 13.5% 38.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Balneario Camboriu

$130 13.5% 30% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Balneario Camboriu

$132 13.7% 9.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Balneario Camboriu

$52 5.4% 40.4% $35

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Balneario Camboriu

$21 2.2% 75.5% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $452 in Balneario Camboriu. 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 72% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $40.00 in Balneario Camboriu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $176 – making Balneario Camboriu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Balneario Camboriu

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

139,155

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Balneario Camboriu 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Balneario Camboriu

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 Balneario Camboriu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $963 in Balneario Camboriu – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,445 in Balneario Camboriu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $963 in Balneario Camboriu. That's a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 506% less in Balneario Camboriu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Balneario Camboriu, where all-in costs run around $963, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Balneario Camboriu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $963 in Balneario Camboriu to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Balneario Camboriu. 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.