Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Covilha

For one person, living is cheaper in Covilha: $1,184 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Covilha
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Covilha Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Covilha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Covilha

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,184 in Covilha, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Covilha $1,184

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,846 in Covilha, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Covilha $1,846

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,509 in Covilha, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Covilha $2,509

Nosara costs about 55% more than Covilha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Covilha is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$8.88 €7.90

38.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$37.07 €32.98

65.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.53 €5.81

18.84%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.29 €1.14

244.19%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.63 €1.45

9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.09 €0.97

18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.95 €1.73

66.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.48 €1.32

199.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.97 €0.87

59.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.94 €0.84

227.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.25 €1.11

102.40%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.60 €2.31

32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$7.28 €6.48

0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.90 €6.14

48.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.04 €9.82

27.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.84 €1.64

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.24 €1.10

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.41 €1.26

239.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.37 €2.11

-30.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.32 €1.18

191.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.70 €1.51

120.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.49 €1.32

-26.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.46 €0.41

463.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.73 €5.10

-10.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$3.17 €2.82

528.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.03 €0.91

171.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.40 €1.24

151.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.98 €1.76

-38.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.32 €38.54

70.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.37 €3.89

-50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.05 €1.83

-24.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.8K €30.1K

2.15%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$37.2K €33.1K

4.07%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$129 €115

-26.55%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$19.81 €17.62

82.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$38.84 €34.55

36.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$42.19 €37.53

74.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$10.05 €8.94

254.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.39 €7.47

-5.72%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$84.6 €75.3

479.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,148 €5,469

93.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$75.6 €67.2

-27.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$21.01 €18.69

165.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$107 €95.3

-25.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$171 €152

-54.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$495 €440

61.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$392 €349

101.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$972 €864

312.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$780 €694

80.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,777 €1,581

297.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$681 €606

81.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,003 €892

-11.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.45

149.86%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Covilha: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Covilha

$392 33.1% 50.4% $398

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Covilha

$191 16.2% 45.3% $158

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Covilha

$130 11% 39% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Covilha

$188 15.9% 2% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Covilha

$168 14.2% 39.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Covilha

$59 5% 34.2% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Covilha

$56 * 4.7% 37.3% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $495 in Covilha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Covilha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $37.00 in Covilha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $191 – making Covilha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Covilha

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

15:42 3:42 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

46,457

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Covilha 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Covilha

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 Covilha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,776 in Covilha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 83% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $37.00 in Covilha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Covilha, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Covilha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Covilha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Covilha. 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.