Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Goiana

For one person, living is cheaper in Goiana: $858 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Goiana
Learn more

Goiana Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Goiana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Goiana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $858 in Goiana.

Nosara $1,837
Goiana $858

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,393 in Goiana.

Nosara $2,775
Goiana $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,928 in Goiana.

Nosara $3,712
Goiana $1,928

Living in Nosara is roughly 114% more expensive than in Goiana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Goiana is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.46 R$27.25

123.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$38.62 R$193

55.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.82 R$49.04

-23.22%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.60 R$12.97

65.77%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.11 R$5.55

54.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.60 R$3.00

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.63 R$8.14

98.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.29 R$16.41

36.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.46 R$7.30

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.63 R$8.12

94.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.67 R$8.35

44.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.95 R$9.74

83.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.36 R$36.73

0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.43 R$22.09

135.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.83 R$34.10

100.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.41 R$7.05

64.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.35 R$6.72

19.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.76 R$3.81

523.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.27 R$6.35

30.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.44 R$7.18

158.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.12 R$5.57

218.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.48 R$2.41

129.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.84 R$4.21

203.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.84 R$9.16

169.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.16 R$40.71

145.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.14 R$5.71

144.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.53 R$7.62

130.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.96 R$4.77

23.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$37.73 R$188

91.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.20 R$6.01

86.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.75 R$3.74

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.57 R$17.81

148.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.05 R$5.24

49.52%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.9K R$119.5K

-8.94%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.6K R$162.8K

6.23%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$80.2 R$401

16.48%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.37 R$66.7

162.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$18.06 R$90.2

185.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$25.99 R$130

174.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$29.91 R$149

18.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.71 R$43.48

-9.99%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$236 R$1,178

107.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$11.9K R$59.5K

-0.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$45.31 R$226

18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$50.9 R$254

9.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$63.2 R$316

25.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$81.6 R$407

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$367 R$1,831

114.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$272 R$1,358

186.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$609 R$3,040

533.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$460 R$2,296

205.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,843 R$9,202

278.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,189 R$5,937

0.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$580 R$2,897

50.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.75

-26.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Goiana: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Goiana

$272 30.7% 65.1% $508

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Goiana

$178 20.1% 49% $171

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Goiana

$126 14.2% 39.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Goiana

$112 12.6% 38% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Goiana

$108 12.2% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Goiana

$43 4.9% 50.1% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Goiana

$47 5.3% 46.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $367 in Goiana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 51% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $39.00 in Goiana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $178 per month, with Goiana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Goiana

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

81,055

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Goiana 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Goiana

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 Goiana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Goiana differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $858 including rent). Goiana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $367 in Goiana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Goiana – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $858 in Goiana – a 114% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $858 in Goiana versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Goiana but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Goiana 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 Goiana 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 Goiana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.