Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ilheus

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $839 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Ilheus
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Ilheus Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Ilheus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ilheus

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $839 in Ilheus, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Ilheus $839

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,360 in Ilheus, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Ilheus $1,360

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,882 in Ilheus, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Ilheus $1,882

Nosara costs about 119% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Ilheus is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.39 R$21.94

178.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$31.59 R$158

90.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.73 R$38.60

-2.46%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.06 R$10.30

109.22%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.16 R$5.79

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.85 R$4.23

58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.99 R$9.91

62.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.61 R$13.02

71.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.07 R$5.33

46.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.68 R$8.37

88.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.23 R$6.15

96.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.25 R$11.22

58.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$18.89 R$94.3

-60.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.30 R$21.46

142.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$7.78 R$38.86

75.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.13 R$10.66

8.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.33 R$6.62

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.23 R$6.16

285.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.61 R$8.04

3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.26 R$6.30

195.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.07 R$5.36

233.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.83 R$4.12

32.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.81 R$4.03

214.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.48 R$12.39

99.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.30 R$36.43

174.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.43 R$7.15

95.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.84 R$9.17

91.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.04 R$5.17

14.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$45.84 R$229

57.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.39 R$6.95

61.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.82 R$4.12

89.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$7.87 R$39.30

12.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.16 R$5.77

35.34%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$20.4K R$101.8K

6.92%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.3K R$146.3K

18.18%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$76.1 R$380

22.73%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$12.11 R$60.5

189.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$20.73 R$104

148.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$25.85 R$129

176.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$30.48 R$152

16.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.78 R$33.85

15.63%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$279 R$1,392

75.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,084 R$35.4K

67.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$47.84 R$239

11.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$44.99 R$225

23.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$86.8 R$433

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$64.1 R$320

23.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$220 R$1,098

257.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$200 R$997

290.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$571 R$2,850

576.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$442 R$2,207

218.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,455 R$7,264

379.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,036 R$5,173

15.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$601 R$3,000

45.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ilheus: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Ilheus

$200 23.8% 74.4% $580

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Ilheus

$219 26.1% 37.4% $131

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Ilheus

$106 12.7% 49.2% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Ilheus

$109 13% 39.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Ilheus

$110 13.1% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ilheus

$39 4.7% 54.7% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ilheus

$56 6.6% 36.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $220 in Ilheus. 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 46% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $32.00 in Ilheus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $219 – making Ilheus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Ilheus

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

178,649

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ilheus 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ilheus

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 Ilheus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $839 in Ilheus – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,258 in Ilheus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 60% 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $32.00 in Ilheus. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilheus, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Ilheus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $839 in Ilheus to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ilheus. 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.