Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
Learn more

Paulista Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Paulista

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $787 in Paulista, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Paulista $787

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,225 in Paulista, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Paulista $1,225

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,663 in Paulista, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Paulista $1,663

Nosara costs about 134% more than Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Paulista is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.05 R$35.72

75.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$15.92 R$80.7

284.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.24 R$41.79

-8.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.58 R$8.03

179.11%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.07 R$5.43

62.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.42 R$2.13

211.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.92 R$9.71

70.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.54 R$17.94

26.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.02 R$5.16

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.82 R$9.20

65.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.03 R$5.22

143.69%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.17 R$11.02

64.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$2.89 R$14.64

157.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.96 R$15.01

255.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$5.69 R$28.86

145.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.02 R$10.25

16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.95 R$4.80

69.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.92 R$4.64

421.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.18 R$5.97

36.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.37 R$6.95

177.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.84 R$4.26

339.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.41 R$2.09

175.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.86 R$4.37

209.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.27 R$11.52

128.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$3.74 R$18.95

431.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.55 R$7.87

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.29 R$16.70

10.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.04 R$5.28

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$48.16 R$244

50.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.97 R$9.99

8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.17 R$5.95

34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.25 R$16.46

162.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.09 R$5.51

39.45%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.2K R$72.2K

51.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.0K R$151.9K

15.16%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$46.71 R$237

106.14%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.42 R$119

53.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.62 R$120

126.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.85 R$131

176.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$27.58 R$140

26.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.88 R$29.81

34.18%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$69.7 R$353

608.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,903 R$35.0K

71.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$18.37 R$93.1

193.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$68.6 R$348

-19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$50.4 R$256

54.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$59.7 R$303

33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$354 R$1,796

122.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$237 R$1,201

235.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$688 R$3,485

472.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$464 R$2,353

205.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,798 R$9,115

284.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,346 R$6,824

-9.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Paulista: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Paulista

$237 30.1% 70.2% $557

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Paulista

$147 18.6% 58.4% $206

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Paulista

$123 15.6% 42.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Paulista

$94 11.9% 49.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Paulista

$89 11.3% 26.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Paulista

$38 4.8% 57% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Paulista

$60 7.7% 30.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $354 in Paulista. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $16.00 in Paulista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $147 – making Paulista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

342,167

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Paulista 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $787 in Paulista – roughly 134% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,180 in Paulista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 51% less in Paulista. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $69.7 in Paulista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Paulista, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Paulista 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 $787 in Paulista 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 Paulista. 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.