Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Itapema

For one person, living is cheaper in Itapema: $772 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Itapema
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Itapema Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Itapema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Itapema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $772 in Itapema.

Nosara $1,835
Itapema $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,233 in Itapema.

Nosara $2,825
Itapema $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,694 in Itapema.

Nosara $3,814
Itapema $1,694

Living in Nosara is roughly 138% more expensive than in Itapema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Itapema is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.55 R$28.13

122.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$27.67 R$140

121.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.45 R$32.69

20.31%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.75 R$8.89

153.71%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.08 R$5.46

65.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.64 R$3.26

101.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.79 R$9.05

81.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.65 R$13.45

67.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.99 R$5.03

56.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.50 R$7.59

105.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.14 R$5.79

121.93%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.03 R$10.28

69.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.39 R$42.52

-12.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.65 R$18.52

180.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.28 R$36.90

93.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.06 R$10.46

11.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.24 R$6.30

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.16 R$5.87

312.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.49 R$7.57

10.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.15 R$5.82

234.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.05 R$5.33

257.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.68 R$3.42

60.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.63 R$3.19

311.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.09 R$10.62

144.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.45 R$37.75

167.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.24 R$6.30

125.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.06 R$10.43

70.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.92 R$4.67

32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$37.79 R$192

95.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.09 R$5.54

99.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.70 R$3.57

122.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.54 R$33.18

32.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.04 R$5.25

49.04%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.0K R$106.5K

64.49%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$28.1K R$142.6K

37.72%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$59.5 R$302

59.36%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$13.32 R$67.5

171.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$18.44 R$93.5

187.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$22.93 R$116

221.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$21.84 R$111

63.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.49 R$32.89

21.88%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$278 R$1,410

76.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,357 R$32.2K

86.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$46.61 R$236

17.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$42.86 R$217

30.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$76.2 R$386

5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$62.5 R$317

24.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$320 R$1,623

150.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$217 R$1,099

264.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$571 R$2,897

600.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$427 R$2,164

230.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,472 R$7,464

379.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,044 R$5,292

18.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.92

-21.06%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Itapema: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Itapema

$217 28.1% 72.5% $573

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Itapema

$174 22.5% 50.3% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Itapema

$106 13.7% 50.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Itapema

$91 11.8% 50.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Itapema

$103 13.3% 15.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Itapema

$36 4.7% 59.9% $54

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Itapema

$46 6% 48.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $320 in Itapema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $28.00 in Itapema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $174 per month, with Itapema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Itapema

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

75,940

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Itapema 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Itapema

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 Itapema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itapema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 138% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,159 in Itapema 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 $320 in Itapema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $772 in Itapema – a 138% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Itapema runs roughly 96% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $772 in Itapema versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Itapema but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Itapema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Itapema 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 Itapema 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 Itapema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.