Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Guararema

For one person, living is cheaper in Guararema: $797 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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 Guararema
Learn more

Guararema Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Guararema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Guararema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $797 in Guararema.

Nosara $1,835
Guararema $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,308 in Guararema.

Nosara $2,825
Guararema $1,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,818 in Guararema.

Nosara $3,814
Guararema $1,818

Living in Nosara is roughly 130% more expensive than in Guararema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Guararema is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.12 R$31.03

101.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$36.21 R$184

69.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.91 R$45.16

-12.91%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.28 R$6.49

246.88%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.27 R$6.45

40.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.89 R$4.50

44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.00 R$10.12

62.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.24 R$16.44

36.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.01 R$5.10

53.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.47 R$7.44

109.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.38 R$7.01

83.33%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.58 R$13.08

33.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.59 R$53.7

-30.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.98 R$25.26

105.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.52 R$53.3

34.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.27 R$11.50

0.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.70 R$8.63

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.51 R$7.67

217.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.38 R$7.02

18.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.25 R$6.33

208.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.23 R$6.25

204.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.97 R$4.92

12.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.79 R$4.02

227.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.55 R$12.94

100.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.89 R$40.02

152.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.55 R$7.83

80.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.48 R$12.55

41.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.15 R$5.84

6.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$20.62 R$105

258.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.16 R$5.86

87.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.77 R$3.91

102.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.33 R$42.25

4.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.30 R$6.57

19.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.4K R$78.0K

124.57%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$23.4K R$118.6K

65.57%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$40.18 R$204

135.99%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$7.83 R$39.69

361.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$15.58 R$79.0

240.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$26.20 R$133

181.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$20.79 R$105

71.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$3.95 R$20.03

100.25%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$436 R$2,210

12.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K R$54.1K

11.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$50.5 R$256

8.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$30.99 R$157

80.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$89.1 R$451

-9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.5 R$297

33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$359 R$1,820

123.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$238 R$1,208

231.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$674 R$3,415

494.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$469 R$2,376

200.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,681 R$8,524

320.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,171 R$5,934

5.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$300 R$1,519

195.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-4.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Guararema: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Guararema

$238 29.9% 69.8% $551

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Guararema

$211 26.5% 39.5% $138

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Guararema

$116 14.6% 45.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Guararema

$64 8% 65.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Guararema

$103 12.9% 14.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Guararema

$34 4.3% 61.9% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Guararema

$30 3.8% 65.9% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $359 in Guararema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 196% 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 $36.00 in Guararema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $211 per month, with Guararema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Guararema

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

31,236

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Guararema 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Guararema

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 Guararema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guararema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 196% 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: $801 in Nosara versus $359 in Guararema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $797 in Guararema – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guararema runs roughly 258% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $797 in Guararema versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guararema but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Guararema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Guararema is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Guararema 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 Guararema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.