Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bra

For one person, living is cheaper in Bra: $1,544 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
Learn more

Bra Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,544 in Bra.

Nosara $1,839
Bra $1,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,240 in Bra.

Nosara $2,828
Bra $2,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,936 in Bra.

Nosara $3,818
Bra $2,936

Living in Nosara is roughly 19% more expensive than in Bra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Bra 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.77 €20.25

-45.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$38.73 €34.45

57.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.94 €9.73

-31.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.74 €1.55

153.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.75 €3.33

-53.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.69 €1.51

-22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.53 €4.92

-40.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.53 €4.03

-1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.66 €1.48

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.57 €2.28

17.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.59 €2.31

-3.09%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.25 €2.89

9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.99 €11.55

-42.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.54 €10.27

-8.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.67 €16.61

-25.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.21 €1.97

6.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.18 €1.94

-26.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.19 €1.94

119.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.32 €2.96

-51.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.71 €1.52

122.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.69 €1.51

118.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.10 €0.98

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 €0.51

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.56 €5.83

-21.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.99 €5.32

231.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.64 €1.46

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.22 €1.97

63.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.71 €1.52

-34.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$44.74 €39.80

62.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$7.85 €6.98

-72.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.29 €2.03

-31.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$11.11 €9.88

-23.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.08 €1.85

-26.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.4K €23.5K

-18.26%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.8K €26.5K

15.80%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$111 €98.8

-13.26%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.10 €8.98

255.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.41 €25.27

88.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$79.3 €70.5

-9.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.02 €8.02

-12.53%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$113 €100

337.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.5K €16.4K

-35.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$102 €90.6

-47.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$50.4 €44.86

9.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 €102

-31.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$133 €118

-40.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$656 €584

20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$440 €391

80.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$553 €492

612.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$502 €446

182.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.1

178.06%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bra

$440 28.5% 44.6% $354

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bra

$312 20.2% 11.4% $40

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bra

$294 19.1% 38.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bra

$150 9.7% 19.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bra

$180 11.6% 49.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bra

$97 6.3% 11.4% $9.9

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bra

$71 4.6% 18.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $656 in Bra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $39.00 in Bra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $312 per month, with Bra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇹 Bra

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

05:21 5:21 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

30,224

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bra 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bra

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 Bra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bra wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $2,316 in Bra to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $656 in Bra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $113 in Bra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,544 in Bra versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bra but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,544 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bra 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 Bra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.