Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Passos

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $956 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Passos

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $956 in Passos, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Passos $956

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,537 in Passos, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Passos $1,537

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,119 in Passos, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Passos $2,119

Nosara costs about 92% more than Passos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Passos is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$10.06 R$51.0

22.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$35.57 R$180

72.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.86 R$44.91

-12.42%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.28 R$11.54

94.74%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.34 R$6.80

33.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.95 R$4.80

35.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.44 R$12.39

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.05 R$20.51

9.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.06 R$5.40

46.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.05 R$10.40

50.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.37 R$6.95

84.67%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.61 R$13.22

32.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.74 R$54.4

-31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.97 R$25.18

106.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.75 R$54.5

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.34 R$11.87

-2.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.66 R$8.42

-1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.53 R$7.76

213.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.37 R$6.94

19.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.30 R$6.60

196.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.24 R$6.29

202.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.99 R$5.01

10.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.85 R$4.31

204.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.43 R$12.34

110.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.08 R$40.96

146.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.56 R$7.89

79.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.51 R$12.74

40.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.00 R$5.05

22.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.39 R$220

70.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.17 R$5.93

85.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.72 R$3.66

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.38 R$42.46

3.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.28 R$6.48

21.09%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.0K R$121.6K

44.02%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$32.0K R$162.0K

21.23%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$67.4 R$342

40.62%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$15.00 R$76.1

141.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$22.66 R$115

134.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.76 R$131

186.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$27.49 R$139

29.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.17 R$41.40

-3.18%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$443 R$2,246

10.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.8K R$54.8K

9.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$64.4 R$326

-14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$57.0 R$289

-1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$88.5 R$449

-9.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.4 R$402

-1.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$354 R$1,797

125.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$242 R$1,225

226.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$687 R$3,485

482.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$475 R$2,410

196.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,693 R$8,582

317.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,181 R$5,984

4.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$419 R$2,122

111.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.81

-20.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Passos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Passos

$242 25.3% 69.4% $548

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Passos

$221 23.1% 36.9% $129

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Passos

$164 17.2% 23% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Passos

$105 11% 42.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Passos

$130 13.6% 7.6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Passos

$42 4.4% 53% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Passos

$52 5.5% 41.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $354 in Passos. 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 112% 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 $36.00 in Passos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $221 – making Passos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Passos

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

02:12 2:12 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

111,939

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Passos 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Passos

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 Passos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $956 in Passos – roughly 92% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,433 in Passos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 70% less in Passos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $443 in Passos. 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 Passos, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Passos 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 $956 in Passos 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 Passos. 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.