Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Imbituba

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $852 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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 Imbituba
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Imbituba Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Imbituba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $852 in Imbituba.

Nosara $1,835
Imbituba $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,353 in Imbituba.

Nosara $2,825
Imbituba $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,854 in Imbituba.

Nosara $3,814
Imbituba $1,854

Living in Nosara is roughly 115% more expensive than in Imbituba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Imbituba is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$4.96 R$25.13

148.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$30.58 R$155

100.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.93 R$35.11

11.98%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.01 R$10.18

120.90%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.13 R$5.71

58.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.49 R$2.48

163.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.44 R$12.39

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.38 R$12.07

86.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.96 R$4.86

61.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.23 R$6.26

150.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.86 R$4.37

194.19%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.23 R$11.33

54.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.47 R$42.95

-13.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.16 R$16.00

224.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.60 R$33.47

113.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.62 R$8.22

41.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.79 R$4.00

107.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.23 R$6.25

289.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.78 R$3.96

110.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.82 R$4.15

369.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.22 R$6.16

207.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.53 R$7.77

-28.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.94 R$4.79

175.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.12 R$15.82

64.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$9.76 R$49.48

104.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.18 R$5.96

137.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.18 R$16.10

10.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.04 R$5.26

17.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$44.00 R$223

67.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.02 R$10.26

7.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.62 R$8.23

-3.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$10.13 R$51.3

-14.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.27 R$6.42

22.05%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.3K R$128.4K

36.42%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.1K R$173.0K

13.55%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$61.5 R$312

54.13%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.31 R$57.4

219.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$20.89 R$106

154.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$26.13 R$132

182.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$28.12 R$143

26.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.68 R$43.98

-8.87%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$318 R$1,614

54.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,577 R$33.3K

80.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$45.74 R$232

19.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$95.3 R$483

-41.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$89.9 R$456

-10.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.1 R$355

11.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$361 R$1,830

121.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$242 R$1,225

226.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$677 R$3,431

491.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$466 R$2,363

202.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,704 R$8,639

314.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,201 R$6,089

2.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.5

-17.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Imbituba: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Imbituba

$242 28.4% 69.4% $548

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Imbituba

$171 20.1% 51.1% $179

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Imbituba

$108 12.7% 49.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Imbituba

$94 11% 49.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Imbituba

$135 15.9% 12% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Imbituba

$43 5.1% 51.5% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Imbituba

$58 6.8% 34.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $361 in Imbituba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $31.00 in Imbituba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $171 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

52,579

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Nosara Imbituba 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Imbituba

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 Imbituba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imbituba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 115% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,278 in Imbituba to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $361 in Imbituba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $852 in Imbituba versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Imbituba 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 Imbituba 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 Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.