Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Manaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Manaus: $914 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Manaus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $914 in Manaus.

Nosara $1,837
Manaus $914

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,427 in Manaus.

Nosara $2,775
Manaus $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,940 in Manaus.

Nosara $3,712
Manaus $1,940

Living in Nosara is roughly 101% more expensive than in Manaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Manaus is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.10 R$30.45

100.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$27.47 R$137

119.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.97 R$34.80

8.18%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.28 R$11.40

89.04%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.09 R$5.43

57.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.85 R$4.23

58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.76 R$13.80

17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$5.24 R$26.18

-14.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.46 R$7.29

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.66 R$8.27

90.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.27 R$6.36

90.55%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.76 R$13.78

29.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.91 R$49.48

-25.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.08 R$20.37

155.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$7.29 R$36.38

87.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.47 R$12.35

-6.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.64 R$8.19

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.45 R$7.24

226.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.03 R$10.12

-18.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.20 R$5.97

210.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.17 R$5.84

205.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.78 R$3.88

41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.69 R$3.46

269.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.74 R$18.68

32.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.17 R$45.75

118.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.46 R$7.29

91.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.71 R$8.55

106.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.96 R$4.77

23.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$40.10 R$200

79.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.99 R$4.93

126.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.93 R$4.64

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$9.73 R$48.58

-8.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.36 R$6.80

15.44%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.6K R$117.9K

-7.65%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.6K R$172.8K

0.08%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$122 R$609

-23.38%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$16.07 R$80.2

118.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$25.37 R$127

102.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$25.46 R$127

180.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$25.55 R$128

38.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.56 R$32.76

19.51%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$225 R$1,123

117.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,143 R$25.7K

131.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$50.5 R$252

6.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$32.20 R$161

73.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$59.3 R$296

33.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$70.5 R$352

11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$638 R$3,186

23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$234 R$1,169

232.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,086 R$5,421

255.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$465 R$2,323

202.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,800 R$8,987

287.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,309 R$6,534

-8.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$530 R$2,644

65.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.33

-16.55%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Manaus: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Manaus

$234 25.6% 70% $546

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Manaus

$204 22.3% 41.7% $146

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Manaus

$129 14.1% 38.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Manaus

$163 17.9% 9.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Manaus

$96 10.5% 20.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Manaus

$39 4.2% 55.7% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Manaus

$50 5.4% 42.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $638 in Manaus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 65% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $27.00 in Manaus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $204 per month, with Manaus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Manaus

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,063,689

💱 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 = 506 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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Manaus 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Manaus

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 Manaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manaus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $638 in Manaus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Manaus – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $914 in Manaus versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Manaus but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Manaus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Manaus is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Manaus 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 Manaus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.