Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pouso Alegre

For one person, living is cheaper in Pouso Alegre: $798 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Pouso Alegre
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Pouso Alegre Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pouso Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pouso Alegre

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $798 in Pouso Alegre, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pouso Alegre $798

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,269 in Pouso Alegre, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pouso Alegre $1,269

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,741 in Pouso Alegre, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pouso Alegre $1,741

Nosara costs about 131% more than Pouso Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pouso Alegre is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$3.96 R$19.90

211.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$24.14 R$121

153.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$7.14 R$35.90

5.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.13 R$10.70

107.04%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.84 R$4.23

107.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.61 R$3.07

114.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$2.03 R$10.20

61.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$2.35 R$11.81

90.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.88 R$4.44

77.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.27 R$6.36

137.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.39 R$7.00

80.58%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.94 R$9.77

84.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$8.26 R$41.53

-10.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$3.92 R$19.69

168.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.20 R$46.27

51.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.17 R$10.89

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.26 R$6.35

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.06 R$10.33

133.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.86 R$9.37

-13.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.32 R$6.62

187.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.29 R$6.50

186.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.77 R$3.90

46.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.78 R$3.94

241.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$2.36 R$11.87

119.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$6.54 R$32.87

203.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$0.87 R$4.38

233.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.96 R$9.86

85.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.68 R$3.42

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$41.49 R$209

75.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.57 R$7.90

36.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.56 R$7.85

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$8.03 R$40.38

6.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.17 R$5.90

29.91%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.0K R$120.8K

-10.08%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.6K R$169.1K

2.61%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$47.94 R$241

100.86%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.60 R$43.23

317.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$19.58 R$98.5

173.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$26.44 R$133

170.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.54 R$123

42.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$5.93 R$29.80

33.05%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$277 R$1,393

78.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.1K R$51.0K

16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.5 R$279

-2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$38.14 R$192

45.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$79.4 R$399

-1.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$60.9 R$306

30.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$351 R$1,767

124.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$242 R$1,216

228.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$680 R$3,419

479.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$473 R$2,379

199.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,627 R$8,179

324.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$1,045 R$5,255

17.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$438 R$2,202

97.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.79

-32.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pouso Alegre: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pouso Alegre

$242 30.3% 69.6% $552

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pouso Alegre

$183 23% 48% $169

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pouso Alegre

$99 12.5% 53.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pouso Alegre

$76 9.5% 59% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pouso Alegre

$105 13.2% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pouso Alegre

$38 4.8% 56.2% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pouso Alegre

$54 6.7% 38.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $351 in Pouso Alegre. 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 97% 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 $24.00 in Pouso Alegre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $183 – making Pouso Alegre the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Pouso Alegre

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

152,217

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Pouso Alegre 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pouso Alegre

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 Pouso Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $798 in Pouso Alegre – roughly 131% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,196 in Pouso Alegre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Pouso Alegre. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $277 in Pouso Alegre. 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 Pouso Alegre, where all-in costs run around $798, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pouso Alegre 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 $798 in Pouso Alegre 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 Pouso Alegre. 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.