Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Caruaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $665 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
Learn more

Caruaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Caruaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $665 in Caruaru.

Nosara $1,837
Caruaru $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,106 in Caruaru.

Nosara $2,775
Caruaru $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,547 in Caruaru.

Nosara $3,712
Caruaru $1,547

Living in Nosara is roughly 176% more expensive than in Caruaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Caruaru is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.95 R$29.70

105.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$29.63 R$148

103.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.08 R$40.35

-6.68%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.53 R$7.62

181.70%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.06 R$5.27

62.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.70 R$3.50

92.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.74 R$8.71

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.33 R$11.63

92.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.23 R$6.13

27.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.12 R$5.62

183.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.38 R$6.88

75.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.09 R$10.43

70.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$4.54 R$22.65

63.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.07 R$25.31

105.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$7.68 R$38.34

77.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.38 R$6.89

68.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.02 R$5.07

57.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.86 R$4.27

451.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.13 R$5.63

46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.64 R$8.20

126.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.24 R$6.19

187.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.76 R$3.78

44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.89 R$4.45

186.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.05 R$15.23

62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.83 R$39.10

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.53 R$7.66

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.44 R$12.18

44.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.93 R$4.62

27.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$26.88 R$134

168.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.22 R$6.09

83.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.94 R$9.69

-20.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.11 R$15.51

184.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.29 R$6.46

21.71%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.6K R$118.0K

-7.77%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$33.1K R$165.1K

4.74%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$56.4 R$282

65.63%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$8.13 R$40.58

331.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$9.96 R$49.73

416.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$14.85 R$74.1

380.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$30.39 R$152

16.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.14 R$35.65

9.80%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$109 R$545

348.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$6,766 R$33.8K

75.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$40.41 R$202

32.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$50.7 R$253

9.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$89.4 R$446

-11.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$66.1 R$330

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$164 R$820

378.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$132 R$657

492.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$349 R$1,740

1007.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$263 R$1,314

434.69%

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

$263 R$1,312

233.45%

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 Caruaru: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Caruaru

$132 19.7% 83.1% $648

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Caruaru

$171 25.5% 51.1% $179

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Caruaru

$111 16.5% 47.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Caruaru

$75 11.1% 58.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Caruaru

$111 16.6% 7.8% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caruaru

$29 4.4% 66.5% $58

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caruaru

$42 6.2% 52.2% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $164 in Caruaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 233% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $30.00 in Caruaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $171 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

377,911

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Caruaru 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Caruaru

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 Caruaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Caruaru differ by about 176% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $665 including rent). Caruaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 233% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $164 in Caruaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $109 in Caruaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $665 in Caruaru versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 176% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.