Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Foz do Iguaçu

For one person, living is cheaper in Foz do Iguaçu: $910 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Foz do Iguaçu
🇧🇷 Brazil
$910
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Foz do Iguaçu

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 Foz do Iguaçu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $910 in Foz do Iguaçu, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Foz do Iguaçu $910

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,390 in Foz do Iguaçu, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Foz do Iguaçu $1,390

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,870 in Foz do Iguaçu, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Foz do Iguaçu $1,870

Nosara costs about 102% more than Foz do Iguaçu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Foz do Iguaçu is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$6.08 R$30.80
103.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$40.68 R$206
50.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$7.11 R$36.04
5.77%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$1.90 R$9.65
132.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.38 R$6.98
26.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.58 R$2.94
125.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$1.64 R$8.32
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$2.99 R$15.15
49.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$0.95 R$4.81
64.21%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.51 R$7.64
100.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.70 R$8.62
47.65%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.69 R$13.66
32.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$8.04 R$40.74
-7.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$4.11 R$20.85
155.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$8.43 R$42.72
65.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.15 R$10.90
9.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.19 R$6.02
35.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$0.97 R$4.92
394.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$1.17 R$5.91
37.61%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$0.97 R$4.94
291.75%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.09 R$5.51
238.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.88 R$4.47
28.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.88 R$4.47
202.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$2.95 R$14.94
75.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$8.03 R$40.72
147.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.89 R$9.56
53.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.99 R$15.18
21.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$0.97 R$4.92
15.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$52.4 R$266
38.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$1.02 R$5.16
109.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.44 R$7.28
9.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.24 R$6.30
22.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$20.3K R$103.1K
6.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$72.2 R$366
33.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$19.15 R$97.1
87.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$20.40 R$103
162.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$19.97 R$101
258.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$5.98 R$30.33
483.78%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$9.29 R$47.09
-15.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$242 R$1,227
104.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$47.64 R$242
13.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$17.75 R$90.0
212.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$50.3 R$255
54.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$39.21 R$199
103.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$377 R$1,912
108.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$320 R$1,622
148.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$711 R$3,603
454.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$508 R$2,573
179.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$1,279 R$6,485
440.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$897 R$4,547
36.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Foz do Iguaçu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$397 R$2,015
117.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
8.16
5.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Foz do Iguaçu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Foz do Iguaçu
$320 59.7% $474
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Foz do Iguaçu
$190 46% $162
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Foz do Iguaçu
$115 45.8% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Foz do Iguaçu
$112 39.9% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Foz do Iguaçu
$70 41.9% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Foz do Iguaçu
$39 55.9% $49
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Foz do Iguaçu
$64 26% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $377 in Foz do Iguaçu. 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 117% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Foz do Iguaçu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $190 – making Foz do Iguaçu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇧🇷 Foz do Iguaçu
🕒 Local time
19:32 7:32 PM
22:32 10:32 PM
3 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
285,415
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Foz do Iguaçu 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Foz do Iguaçu

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 Foz do Iguaçu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Foz do Iguaçu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $910 in Foz do Iguaçu – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Foz do Iguaçu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,364 in Foz do Iguaçu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and Foz do Iguaçu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Foz do Iguaçu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nosara and Foz do Iguaçu?
Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $242 in Foz do Iguaçu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 85% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Foz do Iguaçu, where all-in costs run around $910, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Foz do Iguaçu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Foz do Iguaçu?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $910 in Foz do Iguaçu to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Foz do Iguaçu safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Foz do Iguaçu?
If budget matters most, go with Foz do Iguaçu. 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.

Nosara vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?