Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Brades

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $936 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Brades

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $936 in Brades.

Nosara $1,837
Brades $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,172 in Brades.

Nosara $2,775
Brades $2,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,408 in Brades.

Nosara $3,712
Brades $3,408

Living in Nosara is roughly 96% more expensive than in Brades, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Brades is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$18.33 EC$49.48

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$47.76 EC$129

26.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.98 EC$32.35

-37.06%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$7.30 EC$19.72

-40.96%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.85 EC$7.70

-39.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.52 EC$4.10

-11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.01 EC$8.12

7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.46 EC$12.05

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.39 EC$9.15

-53.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.04 EC$8.20

4.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$7.05 EC$19.04

-49.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$5.77 EC$15.59

28.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.09 EC$24.54

14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$23.46 EC$63.3

-41.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.18 EC$8.59

-27.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.43 EC$11.95

-62.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.26 EC$6.10

57.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$5.16 EC$13.92

-78.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$22.14 EC$59.8

-9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.31 EC$11.65

-18.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.81 EC$4.89

-34.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$4.73 EC$12.76

-67.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$1.90 EC$5.13

366.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$22.2K EC$59.8K

-1.59%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$15.0K EC$40.6K

130.20%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$92.6 EC$250

0.87%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$40.54 EC$109

-13.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$46.80 EC$126

10.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$56.4 EC$152

26.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,313 EC$3,544

194.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,300 EC$3,510

8.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,269 EC$3,427

-30.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brades: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Brades

–

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Brades

–

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Brades

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Brades

–

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Brades

–

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Brades

–

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Brades

–

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $48.00 in Brades for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $342 per month, with Brades cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇸 Brades

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

400

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Brades 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Brades

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 Brades: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Brades. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $936 in Brades – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $936 in Brades versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brades but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Brades the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brades delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $936 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brades hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Brades 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 Brades gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.