Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Portimao

For one person, living is cheaper in Portimao: $1,530 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Portimao
Learn more

Portimao Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Portimao

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Portimao

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,530 in Portimao, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Portimao $1,530

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,351 in Portimao, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Portimao $2,351

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,172 in Portimao, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Portimao $3,172

Nosara costs about 20% more than Portimao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Portimao sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Portimao by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.32 €11.85

-7.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$67.3 €59.9

-9.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.47 €9.32

-28.18%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.77 €1.57

149.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.12 €1.88

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.59 €1.41

-17.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.49 €2.21

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.26 €3.79

4.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.12 €0.99

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.64 €1.46

84.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.67 €1.48

50.30%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.11 €2.77

14.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.54 €10.27

-35.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.33 €6.52

43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.73 €9.54

30.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.23 €1.99

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.53 €1.36

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.37 €1.22

250.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.31 €2.06

-30.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.04 €1.81

86.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.18 €1.94

69.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.54 €1.37

-26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.78 €0.70

241.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.05 €5.38

-14.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.45 €4.85

264.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.08 €0.96

168.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.44 €2.17

48.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.94 €1.73

-42.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$26.98 €24.00

169.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.43 €3.05

-37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.05 €0.94

49.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.55 €14.72

-48.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.13 €1.90

-28.64%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.2K €29.5K

-34.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.9K €33.7K

-8.97%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$110 €98.3

-12.82%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$37.45 €33.31

-4.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$48.48 €43.13

10.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$47.37 €42.14

51.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$21.29 €18.94

63.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.79 €6.92

1.28%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,503 €4,005

163.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.4 €46.56

3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$22.91 €20.38

141.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$45.69 €40.64

70.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$67.4 €60.0

18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$969 €862

-18.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$713 €634

11.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,703 €1,514

131.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,228 €1,093

15.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,245 €3,776

62.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,243 €2,884

-62.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$985 €876

-12.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.58

88.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Portimao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Portimao

$713 46.6% 10.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Portimao

$235 15.3% 33.3% $117

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Portimao

$195 12.7% 7.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Portimao

$196 12.8% 5.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Portimao

$85 5.5% 29.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Portimao

$63 4.1% 28% $24

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Portimao

$43 2.8% 50.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $969 in Portimao. 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 14% higher in Portimao, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $67.0 in Portimao. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $235 in Portimao – so Portimao wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Portimao

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

03:01 3:01 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

59,867

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Portimao 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Portimao

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 Portimao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,530 in Portimao – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,296 in Portimao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 169% less in Portimao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Portimao, where all-in costs run around $1,530, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Portimao 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 $1,530 in Portimao 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 Portimao. 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.