Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nova Iguacu

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Iguacu: $736 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nova Iguacu
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Nova Iguacu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $736 in Nova Iguacu, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Nova Iguacu $736

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,212 in Nova Iguacu, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Nova Iguacu $1,212

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,687 in Nova Iguacu, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Nova Iguacu $1,687

Nosara costs about 149% more than Nova Iguacu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Nova Iguacu is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.54 R$17.92

248.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$30.13 R$153

103.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.87 R$39.92

-1.40%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.89 R$9.59

134.92%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.20 R$6.11

49.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.58 R$2.94

122.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.68 R$8.50

92.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.61 R$8.15

175.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.23 R$6.25

26.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.62 R$8.19

90.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.13 R$5.71

123.89%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.97 R$9.96

75.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.24 R$41.75

-11.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.82 R$14.31

263.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.08 R$35.90

99.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.37 R$6.95

67.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.41 R$7.15

16.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.95 R$4.82

404.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.74 R$8.84

-5.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.02 R$5.19

277.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.03 R$5.22

264.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.41 R$2.08

165.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.42 R$2.13

516.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.82 R$9.25

181.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.80 R$29.41

243.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.97 R$4.92

188.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.37 R$6.94

156.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.48 R$7.51

-17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$50.1 R$254

47.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.33 R$6.77

63.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.38 R$6.98

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$9.26 R$46.94

-6.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.18 R$5.96

31.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.8K R$120.8K

44.94%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.0K R$172.1K

14.11%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$42.49 R$215

123.16%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.82 R$59.9

205.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.90 R$90.7

196.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$23.75 R$120

210.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$39.25 R$199

-9.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.08 R$30.80

30.10%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$73.3 R$371

569.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,935 R$9,808

514.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$54.2 R$275

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$37.22 R$189

50.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$65.2 R$331

23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.4 R$296

33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$321 R$1,627

149.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$214 R$1,086

268.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$654 R$3,318

511.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$444 R$2,250

217.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$972 R$4,926

627.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$244 R$1,238

263.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.12

-22.48%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nova Iguacu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Nova Iguacu

$214 29.1% 72.9% $575

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Nova Iguacu

$160 21.7% 54.3% $190

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Nova Iguacu

$93 12.7% 56.1% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Nova Iguacu

$72 9.8% 60.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Nova Iguacu

$97 13.1% 20% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Nova Iguacu

$36 4.9% 59.9% $54

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Nova Iguacu

$64 8.7% 27.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $321 in Nova Iguacu. 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 263% 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 Iguacu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $160 – making Nova Iguacu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Nova Iguacu

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

785,867

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Nova Iguacu 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nova Iguacu

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 Iguacu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $736 in Nova Iguacu – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,105 in Nova Iguacu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 48% less in Nova Iguacu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $73.3 in Nova Iguacu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nova Iguacu, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Nova Iguacu 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 $736 in Nova Iguacu 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 Nova Iguacu. 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.