Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Joinville

For one person, living is cheaper in Joinville: $919 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Joinville
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Joinville Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Joinville

🇧🇷 Brazil

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Joinville

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $919 in Joinville, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Joinville $919

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,553 in Joinville, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Joinville $1,553

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,187 in Joinville, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Joinville $2,187

Nosara costs about 100% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Joinville is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$8.60 R$42.93

42.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$49.98 R$250

20.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.87 R$34.31

9.75%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.91 R$9.52

125.65%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.12 R$5.58

53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.48 R$2.39

181.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.34 R$16.66

-2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.44 R$12.18

83.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.01 R$5.04

55.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.27 R$6.33

149.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.01 R$5.05

139.60%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.91 R$14.54

22.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.38 R$41.85

-11.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.24 R$16.17

221.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.64 R$33.15

105.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.78 R$8.87

30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.16 R$5.81

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.44 R$7.18

229.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.79 R$8.94

-7.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.31 R$6.55

183.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.27 R$6.32

181.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.52 R$7.59

-27.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.02 R$5.09

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.28 R$16.35

50.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.55 R$47.67

109.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.11 R$5.53

151.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.23 R$16.14

9.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.29 R$6.42

-7.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$60.3 R$301

19.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.95 R$9.72

14.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.64 R$8.20

-5.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$9.88 R$49.31

-10.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.30 R$6.49

20.77%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$24.5K R$122.4K

-11.12%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$33.6K R$167.5K

3.20%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$60.2 R$300

55.28%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$11.53 R$57.6

204.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$21.45 R$107

140.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$27.15 R$136

162.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$27.92 R$139

26.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.96 R$44.70

-12.50%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$318 R$1,587

53.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$6,640 R$33.1K

78.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$46.19 R$231

15.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$94.2 R$470

-40.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$89.5 R$447

-11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$70.1 R$350

12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$426 R$2,126

84.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$258 R$1,286

202.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$765 R$3,820

404.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$551 R$2,752

155.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,943 R$9,699

258.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,288 R$6,429

-6.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$695 R$3,468

26.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.5

-17.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Joinville: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Joinville

$258 27.6% 67% $522

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Joinville

$186 20% 46.7% $163

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Joinville

$140 15% 33% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Joinville

$93 10% 48.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Joinville

$135 14.5% 12.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Joinville

$45 4.8% 48.2% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Joinville

$76 8.1% 13% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $426 in Joinville. 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 26% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $50.0 in Joinville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $186 – making Joinville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Joinville

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

09:58 9:58 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

616,317

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Joinville 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Joinville

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 Joinville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 100% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,378 in Joinville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 88% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $50.0 in Joinville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Joinville, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Joinville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Joinville costs $919 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Joinville. 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.