Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $869 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jacareí

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $869 in Jacareí.

Nosara $1,839
Jacareí $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,385 in Jacareí.

Nosara $2,828
Jacareí $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,900 in Jacareí.

Nosara $3,818
Jacareí $1,900

Living in Nosara is roughly 111% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Jacareí is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$7.15 R$36.11

72.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$31.77 R$160

92.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$7.06 R$35.63

6.52%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.18 R$10.99

102.29%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.57 R$7.91

10.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.92 R$4.66

42.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$2.67 R$13.48

22.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$2.97 R$15.01

50.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.26 R$6.36

23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.86 R$9.39

62.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.17 R$5.88

114.53%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$2.44 R$12.32

46.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$9.25 R$46.69

-19.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$4.51 R$22.78

133.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.63 R$48.59

45.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.63 R$13.27

-10.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.88 R$9.49

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.84 R$9.27

160.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.87 R$9.45

-13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.38 R$6.94

175.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.31 R$6.64

181.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.99 R$4.99

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.76 R$3.83

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$2.38 R$12.03

117.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$7.98 R$40.26

149.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.66 R$8.38

74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$2.95 R$14.90

23.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.04 R$5.26

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$49.52 R$250

46.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.28 R$6.46

67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.43 R$7.24

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$9.44 R$47.66

-9.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.26 R$6.34

20.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.7K R$119.4K

-8.68%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.3K R$168.0K

3.71%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$42.87 R$216

124.61%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.19 R$61.5

194.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$22.01 R$111

143.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$23.26 R$117

207.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$29.25 R$148

19.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$7.89 R$39.83

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$286 R$1,442

72.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,746 R$39.1K

53.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.3 R$284

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$37.60 R$190

47.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$95.7 R$483

-18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$59.9 R$302

32.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$342 R$1,726

130.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$229 R$1,157

246.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$721 R$3,638

446.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$405 R$2,046

250.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,873 R$9,452

269.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$1,131 R$5,709

8.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Jacareí: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Jacareí

$229 26.4% 71.1% $565

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Jacareí

$216 24.8% 38.7% $136

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Jacareí

$134 15.4% 36.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Jacareí

$77 8.9% 58.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Jacareí

$112 12.9% 6.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jacareí

$39 4.5% 55.3% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Jacareí

$62 7.2% 28.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $342 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $32.00 in Jacareí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $216 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

240,275

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jacareí 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,304 in Jacareí 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: $788 in Nosara versus $342 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $286 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $869 in Jacareí versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jacareí but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Jacareí the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jacareí delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $869 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jacareí hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Jacareí 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 Jacareí gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.