Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $885 in Macaé.

Nosara $1,839
Macaé $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,498 in Macaé.

Nosara $2,828
Macaé $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,111 in Macaé.

Nosara $3,818
Macaé $2,111

Living in Nosara is roughly 108% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Macaé is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.49 R$27.83

124.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$30.40 R$154

101.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.09 R$35.95

6.06%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.70 R$8.63

159.41%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.41 R$7.15

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.59 R$2.99

122.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.24 R$6.26

164.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.75 R$13.93

62.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.97 R$4.91

60.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.53 R$7.73

97.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.37 R$6.95

83.21%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.96 R$9.92

82.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.22 R$46.73

-19.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.36 R$17.04

213.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.58 R$48.57

45.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.96 R$9.91

19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.21 R$6.12

33.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.93 R$4.69

416.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.23 R$6.26

30.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.70 R$3.53

442.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.86 R$4.33

329.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.57 R$2.88

98.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.48 R$2.45

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.58 R$8.00

227.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.99 R$30.36

231.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.03 R$5.21

181.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.23 R$6.24

195.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.55 R$7.83

-27.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$84.2 R$427

-13.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.36 R$6.89

57.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.78 R$3.96

101.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.32 R$42.19

2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.26 R$6.41

20.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.7K R$110.0K

-0.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.4K R$159.2K

9.90%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$99.6 R$505

-3.35%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.95 R$50.4

260.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$19.03 R$96.5

181.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.47 R$205

76.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$29.67 R$150

17.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.77 R$34.31

16.54%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$659 R$3,339

-24.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,291 R$37.0K

62.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$63.7 R$323

-15.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.54 R$160

75.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$67.8 R$343

15.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$48.84 R$248

63.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$375 R$1,899

110.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$237 R$1,199

235.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$911 R$4,620

332.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$673 R$3,410

110.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,275 R$6,465

441.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$787 R$3,989

55.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$809 R$4,104

6.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.67

-19.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Macaé

$237 26.7% 70.2% $558

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Macaé

$170 19.2% 51.8% $182

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Macaé

$105 11.9% 50.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 30.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Macaé

$95 10.8% 20.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Macaé

$54 6.1% 38.2% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 9.8% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $375 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $170 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

246,391

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Macaé 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Macaé differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $885 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $375 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $885 in Macaé – a 108% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $885 in Macaé versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.