Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Irati

For one person, living is cheaper in Irati: $784 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Irati
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Irati Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Irati

🇧🇷 Brazil

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Irati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $784 in Irati.

Nosara $1,835
Irati $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,240 in Irati.

Nosara $2,825
Irati $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,695 in Irati.

Nosara $3,814
Irati $1,695

Living in Nosara is roughly 134% more expensive than in Irati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Irati is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.14 R$31.12

100.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$24.52 R$124

150.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.08 R$35.87

9.60%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.46 R$7.41

204.11%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.58 R$2.94

208.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.52 R$2.65

148.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.38 R$6.99

134.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.10 R$10.62

110.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.83 R$4.20

86.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.16 R$5.89

165.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.81 R$4.08

212.35%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.38 R$7.00

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$6.61 R$33.50

10.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.22 R$16.33

218.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.95 R$35.25

102.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.66 R$8.41

37.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.79 R$4.00

107.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.76 R$3.86

530.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.35 R$6.86

21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.78 R$3.94

393.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.57 R$2.91

557.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.50 R$2.55

118.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.61 R$3.07

324.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.23 R$11.30

129.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.69 R$44.04

129.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.12 R$5.66

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.55 R$7.88

127.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.00 R$5.09

22.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.53 R$221

69.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.37 R$6.93

58.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.56 R$7.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$5.49 R$27.83

57.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.31 R$6.63

18.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.2K R$92.3K

89.65%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.1K R$132.1K

48.72%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$60.4 R$306

56.88%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.44 R$58.0

216.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.50 R$88.7

203.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.95 R$132

184.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$27.79 R$141

28.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.04 R$35.70

12.36%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$321 R$1,627

52.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,513 R$33.0K

82.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$46.12 R$234

18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$47.86 R$243

16.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$92.0 R$466

-12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.0 R$299

31.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$355 R$1,800

125.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$237 R$1,202

233.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$686 R$3,476

483.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$464 R$2,352

203.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,735 R$8,796

307.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,194 R$6,053

3.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$517 R$2,621

71.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Irati: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Irati

$237 30.2% 70% $552

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Irati

$147 18.8% 57.9% $203

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Irati

$103 13.2% 51.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Irati

$89 11.4% 51.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Irati

$110 14.1% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Irati

$40 5.1% 55.3% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Irati

$57 7.2% 36.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $355 in Irati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 72% 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 $25.00 in Irati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $147 per month, with Irati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Irati

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

59,250

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Irati 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Irati

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 Irati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irati wins on cost – living expenses run 134% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 72% 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 $355 in Irati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Irati runs roughly 70% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $321 in Irati. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $784 in Irati versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irati but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Irati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Irati delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $784 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Irati hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Irati 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 Irati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.