Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Braganca

For one person, living is cheaper in Braganca: $1,024 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Braganca
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Braganca Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Braganca

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Braganca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,024 in Braganca.

Nosara $1,835
Braganca $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,542 in Braganca.

Nosara $2,825
Braganca $1,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,059 in Braganca.

Nosara $3,814
Braganca $2,059

Living in Nosara is roughly 79% more expensive than in Braganca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Braganca is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$11.37 €10.12

8.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$40.02 €35.60

53.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.14 €8.13

-15.10%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.50 €1.34

196.00%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.36 €1.21

31.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.09 €0.97

18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.09 €0.97

197.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.26 €2.01

96.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.10 €0.98

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.81 €1.61

70.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.52 €1.35

66.45%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.33 €2.96

3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.61 €8.55

-23.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.70 €5.96

52.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.16 €10.82

15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.27 €2.02

0.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.35 €1.20

21.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.78 €1.59

169.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.78 €2.47

-41.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.98 €1.77

94.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.92 €1.70

95.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.22 €1.08

-10.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.95 €0.85

172.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.96 €5.30

-14.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.43 €3.94

349.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.25 €1.11

124.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.61 €1.43

118.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$11.14 €9.91

563.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.79 €3.37

-42.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.13 €1.01

38.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$16.30 €14.49

-46.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.10 €1.87

-26.19%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.3K €29.6K

3.78%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$38.5K €34.2K

0.70%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$109 €96.7

-12.79%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$16.93 €15.06

113.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$36.03 €32.05

47.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$33.37 €29.68

121.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$5.45 €4.85

553.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.63 €5.01

40.50%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$333 €297

47.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,946 €8,847

19.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$22.45 €19.97

144.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$22.16 €19.71

152.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$66.3 €59.0

21.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.1 €87.3

-20.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$406 €361

97.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$315 €280

150.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$733 €652

446.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$467 €415

201.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,062 €945

565.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$849 €755

45.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,190 €1,058

-25.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.55

142.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Braganca: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Braganca

$315 30.8% 60.1% $475

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Braganca

$232 22.7% 33.6% $118

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Braganca

$156 15.3% 26.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Braganca

$162 15.8% 12.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Braganca

$94 9.2% 22.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Braganca

$45 4.4% 50.2% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Braganca

$21 * 2% 76.8% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $406 in Braganca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braganca pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $40.00 in Braganca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $232 per month, with Braganca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Braganca

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

34,589

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Braganca 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Braganca

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 Braganca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Braganca differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $1,024 including rent). Braganca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Braganca. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $406 in Braganca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braganca runs roughly 563% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $333 in Braganca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,024 in Braganca versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Braganca but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Braganca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Braganca 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 Braganca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.