Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lousã

For one person, living is cheaper in Lousã: $1,617 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Lousã
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Lousã Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Lousã

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lousã

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,617 in Lousã, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Lousã $1,617

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,372 in Lousã, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Lousã $2,372

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,128 in Lousã, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Lousã $3,128

Nosara costs about 14% more than Lousã, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Lousã sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Lousã by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$13.57 €12.07

-9.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$46.92 €41.74

30.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.10 €8.09

-14.73%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.13 €1.89

108.45%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.00 €1.78

-10.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.44 €1.28

-10.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.20 €1.96

47.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.73 €2.43

62.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.06 €0.95

46.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.50 €1.34

105.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.68 €1.50

50.60%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.82 €2.51

22.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.64 €10.35

-37.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.57 €6.74

35.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$14.54 €12.93

-3.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.95 €1.74

17.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.52 €1.35

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.83 €1.63

161.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.54 €2.26

-35.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.84 €1.64

109.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.96 €1.74

91.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.59 €1.41

-31.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.72 €0.64

259.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$6.46 €5.75

-20.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.55 €4.04

337.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.25 €1.11

124.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.16 €1.92

62.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.26 €2.01

-46.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$41.25 €36.69

79.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.39 €3.90

-50.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.43 €1.27

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$13.83 €12.30

-37.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.09 €1.86

-25.84%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.5K €29.8K

3.24%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$38.6K €34.3K

0.35%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$106 €94.3

-10.60%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$17.49 €15.56

106.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$31.93 €28.41

66.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$41.29 €36.73

78.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$16.81 €14.96

111.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.28 €7.36

-4.47%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$458 €407

7.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,410 €5,702

85.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$96.7 €86.0

-43.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$35.44 €31.52

57.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$75.1 €66.8

7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$105 €93.6

-25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$976 €868

-17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$766 €682

3.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,550 €1,379

158.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,181 €1,051

19.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,980 €2,650

137.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,237 €1,990

-44.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.7

132.97%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lousã: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Lousã

$766 47.4% 3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Lousã

$243 15% 30.5% $107

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Lousã

$192 11.9% 9.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Lousã

$155 9.6% 15.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Lousã

$141 8.7% 16.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Lousã

$58 3.6% 35.5% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Lousã

$62 3.8% 30.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $976 in Lousã. 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 $47.00 in Lousã. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $243 – making Lousã the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Lousã

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,007

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Lousã 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lousã

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 Lousã: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,617 in Lousã – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,425 in Lousã. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lousã, 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 $47.00 in Lousã. 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 $1,617 in Lousã. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lousã, where all-in costs run around $1,617, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Lousã 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 $1,617 in Lousã 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 Lousã. 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.