Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cascais outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cascais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,157 in Cascais.

Nosara $1,839
Cascais $2,157

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,481 in Cascais.

Nosara $2,828
Cascais $3,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,805 in Cascais.

Nosara $3,818
Cascais $4,805

Living in Nosara costs roughly 15% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cascais 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$15.31 €13.62

-19.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$44.46 €39.55

37.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.26 €8.24

-18.79%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.59 €2.30

70.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.04 €1.81

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.19 €1.95

-40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.30 €2.93

-0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.67 €5.05

-21.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.31 €1.17

19.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.23 €1.99

35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.62 €1.44

54.94%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.44 €3.06

3.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.70 €9.51

-30.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.86 €6.10

53.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.19 €13.51

-8.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.75 €2.45

-14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.46 €1.30

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.45 €2.18

95.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.16 €1.92

-25.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.61 €1.43

136.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.36 €2.10

56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.63 €1.45

-30.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.07 €0.95

148.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.71 €5.08

-9.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.58 €6.74

162.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.24 €1.10

133.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.39 €3.90

-17.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.47 €2.20

-54.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$44.24 €39.35

64.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.27 €2.02

-5.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.11 €1.88

-27.96%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.8K €30.0K

-36.00%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.0K €33.8K

-9.22%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$133 €119

-27.76%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.80 €22.06

44.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$56.0 €49.83

-4.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$66.8 €59.4

7.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$11.32 €10.06

208.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.07 €6.29

11.60%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$719 €639

-31.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.4K €16.3K

-35.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$78.9 €70.2

-31.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$38.31 €34.08

44.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$105 €93.0

-25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$133 €119

-40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,763 €1,568

-55.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,150 €1,023

-30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$3,833 €3,409

2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,606 €2,318

-45.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$6,815 €6,062

1.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,833 €4,299

-74.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,264 €2,014

-61.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.67

134.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cascais

$1.1K 53.3% 44.8% $356

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cascais

$270 12.5% 23.4% $82

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cascais

$226 10.5% 6.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cascais

$214 9.9% 15.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cascais

$160 7.4% 33% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cascais

$81 3.8% 7.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cascais

$56 * 2.6% 35.2% $31

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 $788 in Nosara and $1,763 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 162% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $44.00 in Cascais for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $270 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

214,158

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Cascais 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cascais

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 Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Cascais. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $1,763 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $44.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,157 in Cascais, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cascais, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cascais 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.