Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pelotas

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $759 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pelotas

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $759 in Pelotas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pelotas $759

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,178 in Pelotas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pelotas $1,178

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,598 in Pelotas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pelotas $1,598

Nosara costs about 142% more than Pelotas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pelotas is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.16 R$31.21

100.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$17.70 R$89.7

245.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.66 R$33.78

12.91%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.49 R$12.64

77.11%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.35 R$6.86

28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.72 R$3.65

81.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.46 R$7.41

124.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.55 R$7.87

188.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.88 R$4.47

77.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.19 R$6.03

153.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.91 R$4.61

175.82%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.31 R$11.69

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.16 R$51.5

-26.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.72 R$23.91

122.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.74 R$49.37

43.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.47 R$12.54

-4.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.19 R$6.01

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.40 R$7.11

242.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.22 R$6.19

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.21 R$6.15

214.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.98 R$4.98

276.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 R$4.41

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 R$2.59

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.38 R$12.08

117.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.50 R$38.01

165.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.68 R$3.44

326.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.01 R$5.14

259.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.23 R$6.25

-8.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$52.5 R$266

38.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.31 R$6.66

63.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.80 R$4.03

96.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.27 R$41.92

3.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 R$6.50

18.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.5K R$119.3K

-8.17%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.8K R$171.4K

2.10%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$77.7 R$394

23.86%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.73 R$39.19

364.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.15 R$102

165.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$19.80 R$100

261.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$20.13 R$102

73.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.95 R$25.08

59.39%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$573 R$2,902

-13.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$24.2K R$122.5K

-50.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$35.20 R$178

53.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.28 R$154

82.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$60.6 R$307

28.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$81.0 R$410

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$237 R$1,202

232.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$166 R$843

377.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$390 R$1,978

909.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$316 R$1,603

348.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,579 R$8,004

337.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$802 R$4,065

52.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$460 R$2,331

87.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.5

-25.04%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pelotas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pelotas

$166 21.9% 79.1% $628

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pelotas

$184 24.2% 47.9% $169

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pelotas

$118 15.5% 44.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pelotas

$106 13.9% 43.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pelotas

$93 12.3% 22.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pelotas

$30 3.9% 66% $58

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pelotas

$63 8.3% 28% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $237 in Pelotas. 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 88% 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 $18.00 in Pelotas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $184 – making Pelotas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

14:38 2:38 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

325,685

💱 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 Pelotas 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pelotas

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 Pelotas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $759 in Pelotas – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,139 in Pelotas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 38% less in Pelotas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $573 in Pelotas. 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 Pelotas, where all-in costs run around $759, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pelotas 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 $759 in Pelotas 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 Pelotas. 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.