Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Catanduva

For one person, living is cheaper in Catanduva: $915 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Catanduva
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Catanduva Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Catanduva

🇧🇷 Brazil

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Catanduva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $915 in Catanduva.

Nosara $1,835
Catanduva $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,473 in Catanduva.

Nosara $2,825
Catanduva $1,473

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,031 in Catanduva.

Nosara $3,814
Catanduva $2,031

Living in Nosara is roughly 101% more expensive than in Catanduva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Catanduva is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$9.78 R$49.56

26.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$35.49 R$180

72.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.17 R$46.47

-15.38%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.41 R$12.21

84.23%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.27 R$6.44

40.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.93 R$4.69

38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.37 R$12.01

36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.94 R$19.99

12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.06 R$5.37

46.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.10 R$10.63

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.39 R$7.03

82.01%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.95 R$9.86

76.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.01 R$55.8

-33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.83 R$24.51

112.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.75 R$54.5

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.29 R$11.62

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.44 R$7.28

13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.52 R$7.69

215.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.82 R$4.14

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.02 R$5.16

277.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.02 R$5.15

267.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.94 R$4.77

15.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.85 R$4.33

204.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.48 R$12.55

106.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.01 R$40.62

148.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.50 R$7.60

86.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.63 R$13.33

33.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.04 R$5.28

17.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$44.88 R$228

64.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.19 R$6.02

82.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.78 R$3.96

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.67 R$43.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.16 R$5.86

33.62%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.0K R$121.6K

44.00%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$32.7K R$165.6K

18.64%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$65.0 R$330

45.83%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$7.19 R$36.44

402.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$18.08 R$91.7

193.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.68 R$130

187.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$28.01 R$142

27.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.81 R$34.52

16.15%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$440 R$2,230

11.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.1K R$56.5K

6.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$59.5 R$302

-7.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$39.73 R$201

40.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$88.6 R$449

-9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.7 R$303

30.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$363 R$1,838

120.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$244 R$1,236

223.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$682 R$3,457

487.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$477 R$2,416

195.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,706 R$8,649

314.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,185 R$6,006

4.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.81

-20.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Catanduva: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Catanduva

$244 26.7% 69.1% $546

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Catanduva

$212 23.2% 39.2% $137

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Catanduva

$163 17.8% 23.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Catanduva

$90 9.9% 50.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Catanduva

$111 12.2% 7.9% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Catanduva

$39 4.3% 56.1% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Catanduva

$54 5.9% 39% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $363 in Catanduva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $35.00 in Catanduva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $212 per month, with Catanduva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Catanduva

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

115,791

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Catanduva 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Catanduva

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 Catanduva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Catanduva differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $915 including rent). Catanduva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,372 in Catanduva 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: $801 in Nosara versus $363 in Catanduva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Catanduva – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Catanduva versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Catanduva but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Catanduva 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 Catanduva 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 Catanduva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.