Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ferraz de Vasconcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferraz de Vasconcelos: $868 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$868
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ferraz de Vasconcelos

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 Ferraz de Vasconcelos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $868 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos.

  • Nosara $1,835
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos $868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,386 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos.

  • Nosara $2,825
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos $1,386

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,905 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos.

  • Nosara $3,814
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos $1,905

Living in Nosara is roughly 111% more expensive than in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Ferraz de Vasconcelos is 36% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.34 ₡5,535
$5.70 R$28.90
116.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 ₡27.5K
$31.26 R$158
96.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.76 ₡3,481
$6.77 R$34.33
14.62%
Cappuccino
$4.44 ₡1,992
$2.26 R$11.44
96.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ₡803
$1.43 R$7.26
25.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 ₡580
$0.88 R$4.46
46.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,451
$2.12 R$10.74
52.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 ₡1,985
$3.05 R$15.47
45.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡696
$1.01 R$5.12
53.47%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 ₡1,380
$1.71 R$8.68
80.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 ₡1,133
$1.20 R$6.08
110.83%
Eggs
$3.45 ₡1,546
$2.18 R$11.03
58.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.32 ₡3,284
$9.00 R$45.65
-18.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.24 ₡4,594
$4.31 R$21.87
137.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.10 ₡6,326
$8.46 R$42.91
66.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 ₡1,027
$2.20 R$11.14
4.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 ₡737
$1.30 R$6.59
26.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.79 ₡2,149
$1.13 R$5.75
323.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.64 ₡735
$1.56 R$7.89
5.13%
Potato (1kg)
$3.85 ₡1,727
$1.23 R$6.25
213.01%
Onion (1kg)
$3.75 ₡1,681
$1.18 R$6.01
217.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ₡488
$0.77 R$3.92
41.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 ₡1,160
$0.78 R$3.95
232.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.12 ₡2,295
$2.42 R$12.27
111.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.92 ₡8,931
$8.02 R$40.68
148.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 ₡1,255
$1.20 R$6.10
133.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 ₡1,580
$2.21 R$11.20
59.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.22 ₡549
$1.02 R$5.17
19.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.9 ₡33.1K
$43.35 R$220
70.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 ₡973
$1.26 R$6.41
72.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 ₡698
$0.86 R$4.37
81.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.67 ₡3,886
$7.83 R$39.69
10.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡697
$1.26 R$6.39
23.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$25.1K R$127.5K
37.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K ₡17.4M
$29.1K R$147.6K
33.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.8 ₡42.5K
$76.4 R$387
24.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.15 ₡16.2K
$12.31 R$62.4
193.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 ₡23.8K
$21.06 R$107
151.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.8 ₡33.1K
$25.67 R$130
187.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.63 ₡16.0K
$27.02 R$137
31.87%
Cinema Ticket
$7.91 ₡3,548
$7.12 R$36.09
11.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡219.9K
$299 R$1,517
63.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$7,272 R$36.9K
63.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ₡24.6K
$55.9 R$283
-1.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.9 ₡25.1K
$49.91 R$253
11.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 ₡36.0K
$89.6 R$454
-10.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$69.0 R$350
12.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$801 ₡359.1K
$355 R$1,798
125.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$790 ₡354.1K
$237 R$1,199
233.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,005 ₡1.8M
$655 R$3,321
511.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,409 ₡632.0K
$475 R$2,407
196.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,064 ₡3.2M
$1,674 R$8,485
322.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,236 ₡554.3K
$1,154 R$5,850
7.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$887 ₡397.6K
$301 R$1,525
194.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
11
-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ferraz de Vasconcelos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$790
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$237 70% $553
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$191 45.4% $159
Eating Out
Nosara
$213
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$119 44.1% $94
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$184
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$110 40.3% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$121
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$119 1.7% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$90
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$40 55.5% $50
Getting Around
Nosara
$89
Ferraz de Vasconcelos
$53 40.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $355 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 195% 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 $31.00 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $191 per month, with Ferraz de Vasconcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇧🇷 Ferraz de Vasconcelos
🕒 Local time
05:39 5:39 AM
08:39 8:39 AM
3 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
179,198
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Ferraz de Vasconcelos 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Ferraz de Vasconcelos

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 Ferraz de Vasconcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Ferraz de Vasconcelos wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ferraz de Vasconcelos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Nosara or in Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Average pay runs 195% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Nosara compared to Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $355 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Nosara compared to Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
A monthly transit pass in Ferraz de Vasconcelos runs roughly 70% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Nosara and in Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $299 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nosara or in Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
At $868 in Ferraz de Vasconcelos versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ferraz de Vasconcelos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ferraz de Vasconcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ferraz de Vasconcelos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $868 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ferraz de Vasconcelos hard to pass up.
How safe is Nosara compared to Ferraz de Vasconcelos?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Ferraz de Vasconcelos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ferraz de Vasconcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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