Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cerquilho

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $805 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cerquilho

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $805 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Cerquilho $805

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,302 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Cerquilho $1,302

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,799 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Cerquilho $1,799

Nosara costs about 128% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Cerquilho is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.97 R$35.32

77.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.49 R$160

94.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.07 R$40.92

-3.84%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.96 R$9.92

126.53%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.61 R$8.18

11.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.15 R$5.83

12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.17 R$5.94

176.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.98 R$15.10

48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.25 R$6.34

24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.64 R$8.29

87.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.20 R$6.06

110.83%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.82 R$14.27

22.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.91 R$45.18

-17.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$1.98 R$10.04

417.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.03 R$30.58

133.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.97 R$10.01

16.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.89 R$9.60

-13.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.18 R$5.98

305.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.82 R$9.21

-9.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.36 R$6.89

183.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.62 R$3.12

504.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.91 R$4.61

19.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.59 R$2.99

338.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.42 R$7.20

260.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.79 R$44.55

126.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.17 R$5.91

139.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.04 R$10.36

72.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.01 R$5.10

20.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.66 R$221

69.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.33 R$6.76

63.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.42 R$7.20

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$9.47 R$48.03

-8.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.18 R$5.97

31.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.4K R$123.5K

41.79%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.7K R$175.9K

11.66%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$43.05 R$218

120.26%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$14.29 R$72.4

152.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$15.76 R$79.9

236.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$26.01 R$132

183.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$28.01 R$142

27.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.79 R$39.49

1.54%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$434 R$2,200

12.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,823 R$39.7K

51.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$34.52 R$175

58.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$19.94 R$101

180.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$60.2 R$305

33.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$84.6 R$429

-7.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$354 R$1,794

126.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$240 R$1,218

228.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$679 R$3,443

489.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$471 R$2,388

199.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,715 R$8,696

311.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,225 R$6,209

0.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.12

-22.48%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cerquilho: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Cerquilho

$240 29.8% 69.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Cerquilho

$178 22.1% 49% $171

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Cerquilho

$126 15.7% 40.6% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Cerquilho

$73 9.1% 60.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Cerquilho

$90 11.1% 25.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Cerquilho

$42 5.2% 53.6% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Cerquilho

$56 7% 36.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $354 in Cerquilho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $31.00 in Cerquilho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $178 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

44,695

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Cerquilho 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cerquilho

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 Cerquilho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 128% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,208 in Cerquilho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cerquilho, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $434 in Cerquilho. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerquilho, where all-in costs run around $805, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Cerquilho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cerquilho costs $805 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cerquilho. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.