Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rio do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio do Sul: $818 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio do Sul
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Rio do Sul Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Rio do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rio do Sul

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 Rio do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $818 in Rio do Sul, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Rio do Sul $818

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,282 in Rio do Sul, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Rio do Sul $1,282

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,747 in Rio do Sul, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Rio do Sul $1,747

Nosara costs about 124% more than Rio do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Rio do Sul is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.05 R$25.60

144.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$22.25 R$113

175.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.04 R$40.74

-3.48%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.12 R$10.75

109.43%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.14 R$5.80

57.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.88 R$4.49

46.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.82 R$14.30

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.04 R$20.46

9.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.02 R$5.17

51.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.94 R$9.84

58.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.36 R$6.87

86.03%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.64 R$8.33

110.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$7.88 R$39.94

-7.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.06 R$20.57

152.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.07 R$35.84

99.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.58 R$8.01

44.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.07 R$5.44

53.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.79 R$4.00

506.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.41 R$7.12

16.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.86 R$4.38

347.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.79 R$3.98

374.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.74 R$3.74

47.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.77 R$3.90

236.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.98 R$15.13

71.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.07 R$20.64

389.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.31 R$6.64

113.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.51 R$12.75

40.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.05 R$5.32

16.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$43.59 R$221

69.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.32 R$6.71

64.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.78 R$3.97

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.08 R$30.82

42.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.21 R$6.16

28.10%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.4K R$118.8K

47.48%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$33.8K R$171.4K

14.58%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$64.7 R$328

46.55%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$9.83 R$49.86

267.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$20.96 R$106

153.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$26.42 R$134

179.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$27.93 R$142

27.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$4.98 R$25.26

58.84%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$312 R$1,583

56.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.0K R$55.9K

7.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.65 R$252

10.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$55.4 R$281

0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$79.8 R$404

0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$49.49 R$251

57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$363 R$1,838

120.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$240 R$1,218

228.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$686 R$3,477

483.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$470 R$2,383

199.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,680 R$8,518

320.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,205 R$6,109

2.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.54

-25.30%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rio do Sul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Rio do Sul

$240 29.4% 69.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Rio do Sul

$167 20.5% 52.1% $182

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Rio do Sul

$120 14.7% 43.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Rio do Sul

$96 11.7% 48.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Rio do Sul

$105 12.9% 12.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Rio do Sul

$36 4.5% 59.4% $53

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Rio do Sul

$53 6.5% 40.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $363 in Rio do Sul. 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 $22.00 in Rio do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $167 – making Rio do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Rio do Sul

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

72,587

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

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Between locations

Nosara Rio do Sul 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rio do Sul

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 Rio do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $818 in Rio do Sul – roughly 124% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,227 in Rio do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 70% less in Rio do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $312 in Rio do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rio do Sul, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Rio do Sul 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 $818 in Rio do Sul to $1,835 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 Rio do Sul. 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.