Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Barra do Garças

For one person, living is cheaper in Barra do Garças: $830 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Barra do Garças
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Barra do Garças Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Barra do Garças

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $830 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Barra do Garças $830

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,344 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Barra do Garças $1,344

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,858 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Barra do Garças $1,858

Nosara costs about 121% more than Barra do Garças, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Barra do Garças is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.70 R$28.44

114.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$30.52 R$152

97.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.98 R$34.83

8.02%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.93 R$9.64

123.32%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.28 R$6.39

34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.78 R$3.90

73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.91 R$9.51

69.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.94 R$14.66

52.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.00 R$5.00

57.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.61 R$8.06

96.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.20 R$6.00

101.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.07 R$10.32

72.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.37 R$46.76

-20.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.13 R$20.64

152.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$8.33 R$41.58

63.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.16 R$10.79

7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.28 R$6.39

25.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.13 R$5.64

319.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.54 R$7.70

7.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.15 R$5.76

223.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.03 R$5.15

246.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.80 R$4.00

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.79 R$3.93

222.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.35 R$11.74

110.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.56 R$37.72

164.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.24 R$6.20

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.01 R$10.05

75.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.98 R$4.90

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$41.50 R$207

73.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.27 R$6.35

76.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.81 R$4.05

91.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$7.58 R$37.86

16.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.21 R$6.02

29.75%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.0K R$114.9K

-5.25%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$31.5K R$157.2K

9.98%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$70.6 R$352

32.46%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$12.20 R$60.9

187.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$20.50 R$102

151.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$25.10 R$125

184.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$26.14 R$130

35.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.97 R$34.82

12.48%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$283 R$1,413

72.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$6,859 R$34.2K

73.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$53.3 R$266

0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$48.64 R$243

14.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$89.6 R$447

-11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$69.8 R$348

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$345 R$1,723

127.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$233 R$1,165

234.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$642 R$3,206

501.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$465 R$2,321

202.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,616 R$8,067

331.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,122 R$5,600

7.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 5, 2026

Last update for Barra do Garças: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Barra do Garças

$233 27.6% 70.1% $546

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Barra do Garças

$187 22.2% 46.4% $162

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Barra do Garças

$113 13.4% 45.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Barra do Garças

$103 12.2% 42.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Barra do Garças

$118 13.9% 2.3% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Barra do Garças

$39 4.6% 55.2% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Barra do Garças

$51 6% 41.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $345 in Barra do Garças. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $31.00 in Barra do Garças. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $187 – making Barra do Garças the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Barra do Garças

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

69,210

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Barra do Garças 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $830 in Barra do Garças – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,246 in Barra do Garças. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 74% less in Barra do Garças. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $283 in Barra do Garças. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barra do Garças, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Barra do Garças 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 $830 in Barra do Garças to $1,837 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 Barra do Garças. 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.