Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Barretos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $845 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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 Barretos
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Barretos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Barretos

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $845 in Barretos, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Barretos $845

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,367 in Barretos, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Barretos $1,367

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,889 in Barretos, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Barretos $1,889

Nosara costs about 118% more than Barretos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Barretos is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.01 R$35.52

76.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.95 R$121

155.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.09 R$30.86

23.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.57 R$7.98

180.89%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.34 R$6.81

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.57 R$2.89

129.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.48 R$12.56

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.96 R$15.02

51.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.03 R$5.22

51.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.07 R$10.52

45.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.38 R$7.00

81.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.58 R$13.10

38.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.95 R$55.5

-32.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.92 R$24.93

113.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.63 R$53.9

31.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.41 R$12.21

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.72 R$8.74

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.59 R$8.06

201.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.40 R$7.12

15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.30 R$6.60

192.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.20 R$6.10

207.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.94 R$4.77

20.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.83 R$4.19

220.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.48 R$12.56

108.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.99 R$40.51

148.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.55 R$7.86

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.60 R$13.18

39.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.98 R$4.98

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$46.46 R$236

56.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.19 R$6.02

79.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.76 R$3.87

106.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.64 R$43.80

-1.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.00 R$5.06

52.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.5K R$119.2K

-8.08%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.9K R$161.9K

8.09%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$30.25 R$153

218.31%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.04 R$30.62

494.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$15.91 R$80.7

236.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$24.93 R$126

187.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$28.30 R$143

23.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.01 R$40.60

-1.50%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$435 R$2,206

13.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.1K R$56.2K

7.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$66.2 R$335

-18.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$23.73 R$120

133.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.8 R$450

-12.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$69.8 R$354

14.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$343 R$1,739

129.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$245 R$1,242

224.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$715 R$3,625

450.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$492 R$2,494

188.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,620 R$8,215

326.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,235 R$6,259

-0.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$569 R$2,883

51.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.81

-20.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barretos: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Barretos

$245 29% 69.2% $549

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Barretos

$221 26.1% 37.3% $131

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Barretos

$119 14.1% 43.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Barretos

$52 6.2% 71.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Barretos

$112 13.2% 6.9% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Barretos

$41 4.8% 53.1% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Barretos

$55 6.6% 36.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $343 in Barretos. 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 52% 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 $24.00 in Barretos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $221 – making Barretos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Barretos

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

122,485

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Barretos 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Barretos

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 Barretos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $845 in Barretos – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,268 in Barretos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $24.00 in Barretos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $845 in Barretos. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barretos, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Barretos 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 $845 in Barretos 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 Barretos. 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.