Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Itajai

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $1,002 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Itajai

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,002 in Itajai, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Itajai $1,002

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,225 in Itajai, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Itajai $1,225

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,448 in Itajai, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Itajai $1,448

Nosara costs about 84% more than Itajai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Itajai is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.87 R$29.75

110.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.47 R$205

51.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.05 R$45.86

-16.91%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.52 R$12.77

75.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.16 R$5.88

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.96 R$4.87

36.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.73 R$13.83

20.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.08 R$15.63

45.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.97 R$4.93

60.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.57 R$7.95

92.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.03 R$5.22

143.69%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.19 R$11.12

63.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.78 R$49.60

-24.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.51 R$22.87

133.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.78 R$39.44

79.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.84 R$9.30

27.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.96 R$4.84

67.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.00 R$5.09

380.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.36 R$6.92

18.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.83 R$4.20

357.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.58 R$2.95

536.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.75 R$3.79

50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.78 R$3.94

241.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.95 R$14.97

75.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.31 R$37.03

171.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.85 R$4.30

241.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.90 R$9.65

91.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.88 R$4.45

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.28 R$6.46

67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.83 R$4.21

89.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.10 R$30.93

39.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 R$6.81

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.6K R$119.8K

-8.56%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.4K R$169.3K

3.33%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$101 R$514

-4.95%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.17 R$56.6

221.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.25 R$118

130.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$27.46 R$139

160.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.69 R$38.96

2.60%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$283 R$1,435

74.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,139 R$26.1K

130.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$72.7 R$369

-25.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$74.0 R$375

-25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.9 R$496

-20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$80.9 R$410

-1.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$498 R$2,524

58.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$357 R$1,812

122.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,427 R$7,232

176.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,324 R$11.8K

197.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$632 R$3,201

36.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.68

-19.29%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Itajai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Itajai

$357 35.7% 55% $437

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Itajai

$178 17.8% 49.5% $174

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Itajai

$133 13.2% 37.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Itajai

$136 13.6% 26.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Itajai

$146 14.6% 22% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Itajai

$43 4.3% 51% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Itajai

$8.9 * 0.9% 89.7% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $498 in Itajai. 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 37% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $40.00 in Itajai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $178 – making Itajai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Itajai

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

01:41 1:41 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

264,054

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Itajai 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Itajai

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 Itajai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,002 in Itajai – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,503 in Itajai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,002 in Itajai. That's a gap of about 84%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $283 in Itajai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Itajai 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 $1,002 in Itajai to $1,839 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 Itajai. 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.