Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Itu

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $747 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Itu

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $747 in Itu, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Itu $747

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,375 in Itu, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Itu $1,375

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,003 in Itu, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Itu $2,003

Nosara costs about 146% more than Itu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Itu is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.85 R$29.63

110.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$40.82 R$207

50.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.36 R$32.23

22.01%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.93 R$9.77

130.05%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.83 R$4.20

115.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.52 R$2.66

148.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.47 R$12.52

31.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.35 R$22.05

1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.13 R$5.73

37.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.47 R$7.43

109.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.14 R$5.79

121.93%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.70 R$13.71

27.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.78 R$44.49

-16.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.06 R$20.58

152.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.17 R$31.29

128.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.84 R$9.34

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.44 R$7.30

13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.82 R$4.18

484.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.81 R$9.19

-9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.02 R$5.15

277.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.42 R$7.21

164.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.83 R$4.18

31.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.49 R$2.48

428.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.89 R$14.64

77.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.19 R$31.38

221.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.71 R$8.65

63.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.07 R$10.50

70.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.99 R$5.04

23.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.71 R$222

69.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.97 R$4.94

123.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.02 R$5.15

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$9.46 R$47.96

-8.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.02 R$5.18

51.96%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.1K R$122.2K

43.31%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$28.4K R$143.8K

36.56%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$43.68 R$221

117.08%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$12.01 R$60.9

201.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.17 R$87.1

209.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.62 R$130

187.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$28.11 R$142

26.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.07 R$25.72

56.02%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$432 R$2,188

13.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,615 R$38.6K

56.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$50.4 R$256

8.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$40.38 R$205

38.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$69.3 R$351

16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$49.27 R$250

58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$323 R$1,639

147.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$198 R$1,003

299.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$814 R$4,125

392.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$659 R$3,339

113.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,739 R$8,813

306.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,190 R$6,031

3.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$296 R$1,501

199.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.12

-22.48%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Itu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Itu

$198 26.5% 74.9% $592

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Itu

$177 23.7% 49.4% $173

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Itu

$115 15.5% 45.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Itu

$73 9.8% 60.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Itu

$94 12.6% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Itu

$36 4.8% 60.1% $54

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Itu

$54 7.2% 39.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $323 in Itu. 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 199% 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 $41.00 in Itu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $177 – making Itu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Itu

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

02:12 2:12 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

168,240

💱 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 Itu 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Itu

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 Itu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $747 in Itu – roughly 146% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,120 in Itu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $41.00 in Itu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $747 in Itu. That's a gap of about 146%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itu, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Itu 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 $747 in Itu to $1,835 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 Itu. 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.