Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Quarteira

For one person, living is cheaper in Quarteira: $1,720 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Quarteira
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Quarteira Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Quarteira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Quarteira

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,720 in Quarteira, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Quarteira $1,720

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,512 in Quarteira, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Quarteira $2,512

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,304 in Quarteira, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Quarteira $3,304

Nosara costs about 7% more than Quarteira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Quarteira sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Quarteira by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.70 €12.19

-9.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$59.2 €52.6

3.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.99 €9.78

-31.57%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.84 €1.63

139.67%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.25 €2.00

-22.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.64 €1.46

-20.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.82 €2.51

16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.44 €2.17

83.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.01 €0.90

54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.50 €1.33

101.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.47 €1.31

70.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.52 €3.13

1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.55 €11.17

-40.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.17 €5.49

70.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.41 €10.15

22.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.16 €1.92

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.42 €1.27

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.85 €1.64

159.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.51 €2.23

-35.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.83 €1.63

107.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.95 €1.74

89.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.41 €1.26

-19.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.84 €0.74

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.38 €5.68

-18.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.98 €4.43

299.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.97 €0.86

198.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.06 €1.83

76.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$5.20 €4.62

-78.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.77 €3.35

-43.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.08 €0.96

45.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.48 €14.66

-48.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.09 €1.86

-27.27%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.9K €30.2K

-36.30%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.2K €34.0K

-9.66%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$163 €145

-40.81%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.17 €17.05

87.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.28 €30.50

56.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$87.9 €78.2

-18.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.87 €8.78

-20.06%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$452 €402

9.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.9K €9,700

8.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$71.5 €63.6

-24.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$44.65 €39.72

24.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$103 €91.9

-24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$119 €106

-33.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$852 €758

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$784 €697

1.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,436 €1,278

174.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,201 €1,068

18.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,323 €1,177

-34.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.57

141.46%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quarteira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Quarteira

$784 45.6% 1.3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Quarteira

$231 13.4% 34.4% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Quarteira

$199 11.6% 6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Quarteira

$216 12.6% 16.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Quarteira

$152 8.9% 26.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Quarteira

$108 6.3% 23.2% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Quarteira

$30 * 1.7% 65.6% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $852 in Quarteira. 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 53% higher in Quarteira, 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 $59.0 in Quarteira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $231 – making Quarteira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Quarteira

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

05:24 5:24 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

24,421

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Quarteira 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Quarteira

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 Quarteira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,720 in Quarteira – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,580 in Quarteira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $59.0 in Quarteira. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% 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 Quarteira, where all-in costs run around $1,720, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Quarteira 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 $1,720 in Quarteira 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 Quarteira. 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.