Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
Learn more

Lages Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lages

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $931 in Lages, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Lages $931

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,494 in Lages, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Lages $1,494

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,058 in Lages, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Lages $2,058

Nosara costs about 97% more than Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Lages is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$7.95 R$40.28

55.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$39.35 R$199

55.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.90 R$34.96

12.46%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.52 R$12.77

76.19%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.42 R$7.22

26.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.06 R$5.39

21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.48 R$12.56

30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.98 R$15.10

48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.00 R$5.07

55.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.68 R$8.52

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.09 R$5.51

132.11%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.46 R$12.45

40.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.28 R$52.1

-28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.88 R$24.73

109.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$9.90 R$50.2

42.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.45 R$12.42

-6.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.52 R$7.69

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.41 R$7.16

239.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.62 R$8.20

1.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.25 R$6.34

208.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.08 R$5.47

247.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.94 R$4.79

15.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.81 R$4.11

219.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.54 R$12.87

101.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.22 R$41.66

142.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.14 R$5.76

145.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.26 R$11.47

55.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.00 R$5.09

22.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$44.06 R$223

67.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.28 R$6.51

69.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.81 R$4.12

92.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.29 R$42.05

4.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.34 R$6.77

15.67%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.9K R$121.4K

44.28%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$33.4K R$169.4K

15.99%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$77.0 R$390

23.13%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$12.30 R$62.4

193.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$22.01 R$112

141.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.95 R$132

184.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$27.71 R$140

28.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.50 R$38.02

5.47%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$282 R$1,428

74.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,318 R$37.1K

62.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$50.3 R$255

8.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$57.6 R$292

-2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$102 R$518

-21.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.7 R$404

-2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$362 R$1,833

121.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$245 R$1,241

222.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$681 R$3,454

487.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$465 R$2,358

202.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,705 R$8,643

314.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,216 R$6,164

1.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.5

-25.04%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lages: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Lages

$245 26.3% 69% $545

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Lages

$207 22.3% 40.8% $143

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Lages

$143 15.3% 32.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Lages

$111 12% 39.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Lages

$130 14% 7.7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Lages

$41 4.4% 54.3% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Lages

$53 5.7% 39.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $362 in Lages. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $39.00 in Lages. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $207 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

164,981

💱 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 Lages 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lages

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 Lages: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $931 in Lages – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,396 in Lages. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $282 in Lages. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Lages 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 $931 in Lages 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 Lages. 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.