Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $611 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nova Friburgo

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $611 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Nova Friburgo $611

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,026 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Nova Friburgo $1,026

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,440 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Nova Friburgo $1,440

Nosara costs about 201% more than Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Nova Friburgo is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$5.87 R$29.44

110.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$30.15 R$151

102.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$6.38 R$32.01

17.87%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$1.76 R$8.84

150.57%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.88 R$4.42

97.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.58 R$2.89

125.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.19 R$5.95

175.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$2.45 R$12.30

82.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.97 R$4.85

60.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.51 R$7.58

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.38 R$6.94

81.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$1.94 R$9.75

84.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$9.21 R$46.22

-19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$3.42 R$17.16

207.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$9.52 R$47.79

46.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.62 R$8.14

45.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.20 R$6.04

34.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$0.93 R$4.65

416.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.28 R$6.43

25.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.65 R$3.25

484.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$0.81 R$4.04

355.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.56 R$2.82

101.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.76 R$3.83

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$1.58 R$7.94

227.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$6.07 R$30.43

227.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.01 R$5.07

187.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$1.42 R$7.12

155.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.96 R$4.83

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$1.22 R$6.11

75.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$0.56 R$2.79

180.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$6.87 R$34.45

24.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.25 R$6.27

21.60%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.0K R$100.3K

8.12%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.0K R$155.6K

11.33%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$41.63 R$209

131.30%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.54 R$47.85

276.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$18.74 R$94.0

185.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$22.35 R$112

220.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$6.77 R$33.95

16.54%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$147 R$739

235.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,693 R$13.5K

340.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$71.1 R$357

-24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$84.5 R$424

-34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$68.1 R$342

14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$47.77 R$240

66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$161 R$809

388.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$99.3 R$498

700.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$396 R$1,987

894.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$243 R$1,221

483.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,604 R$8,050

330.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$810 R$4,062

51.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$521 R$2,613

65.83%

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 Nova Friburgo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nova Friburgo

$99 16.3% 87.5% $695

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nova Friburgo

$172 28.1% 51.2% $180

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nova Friburgo

$104 17% 51% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nova Friburgo

$70 11.5% 62.4% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nova Friburgo

$122 20% 1.7% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nova Friburgo

$36 5.9% 58.9% $51

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 91% $79

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $161 in Nova Friburgo. 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 66% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $172 – making Nova Friburgo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

189,939

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Nova Friburgo 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nova Friburgo

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 Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $611 in Nova Friburgo – roughly 201% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $916 in Nova Friburgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nova Friburgo, 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 105% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nova Friburgo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nova Friburgo 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 $611 in Nova Friburgo to $1,839 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 Nova Friburgo. 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.