Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Imperatriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $896 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Imperatriz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $896 in Imperatriz.

Nosara $1,835
Imperatriz $896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,395 in Imperatriz.

Nosara $2,825
Imperatriz $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,894 in Imperatriz.

Nosara $3,814
Imperatriz $1,894

Living in Nosara is roughly 105% more expensive than in Imperatriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Imperatriz is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.99 R$30.38

106.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$34.01 R$172

80.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.84 R$39.76

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.95 R$9.87

127.69%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.35 R$6.86

32.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.53 R$2.67

143.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.07 R$10.51

56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.96 R$14.99

49.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.25 R$6.36

24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.52 R$7.70

102.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.42 R$7.18

78.17%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.06 R$10.42

67.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.01 R$45.69

-18.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.32 R$21.89

137.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$8.78 R$44.49

60.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.92 R$9.72

19.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.48 R$7.51

10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.10 R$5.58

335.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.58 R$8.03

3.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.23 R$6.24

213.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.24 R$6.30

202.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.75 R$3.80

45.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.81 R$4.08

219.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.69 R$13.63

90.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.53 R$43.23

133.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.17 R$5.92

139.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.12 R$10.73

66.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.93 R$4.73

31.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$44.50 R$226

66.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.38 R$6.99

57.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.91 R$4.59

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.45 R$42.82

2.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.25 R$6.36

24.00%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.7K R$105.2K

66.52%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.6K R$175.6K

11.85%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$68.8 R$349

37.74%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$10.82 R$54.8

234.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$20.83 R$106

154.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.81 R$131

185.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$30.36 R$154

17.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.68 R$38.93

2.99%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$288 R$1,459

70.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,514 R$38.1K

58.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$60.9 R$309

-9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$56.4 R$286

-0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$83.6 R$424

-3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$64.2 R$326

21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$399 R$2,023

100.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$269 R$1,361

194.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$694 R$3,518

477.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$447 R$2,265

215.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,705 R$8,645

314.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,081 R$5,482

14.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Imperatriz: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Imperatriz

$269 30% 66% $521

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Imperatriz

$193 21.6% 44.7% $156

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Imperatriz

$119 13.3% 44.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Imperatriz

$100 11.2% 45.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Imperatriz

$119 13.3% 1.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Imperatriz

$41 4.6% 54.1% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Imperatriz

$54 6.1% 39% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $399 in Imperatriz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $34.00 in Imperatriz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $193 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

273,110

💱 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

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Between locations

Nosara Imperatriz 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Imperatriz

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 Imperatriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperatriz is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,343 in Imperatriz 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 $399 in Imperatriz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $896 in Imperatriz versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Imperatriz 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 Imperatriz 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 Imperatriz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.