Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Cruz do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Santa Cruz do Sul $949

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,519 in Santa Cruz do Sul, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,089 in Santa Cruz do Sul, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089

Nosara costs about 93% more than Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Santa Cruz do Sul is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.96 R$30.23

107.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$35.87 R$182

70.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.10 R$35.99

9.30%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.24 R$11.36

98.21%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.35 R$6.82

32.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.88 R$4.46

46.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.74 R$8.82

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.70 R$13.70

64.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.88 R$4.45

76.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.80 R$9.15

71.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.39 R$7.07

82.01%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.24 R$11.36

54.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.97 R$45.45

-18.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.80 R$24.32

113.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.87 R$39.91

79.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.18 R$11.06

5.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.11 R$5.63

47.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.18 R$5.99

305.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.52 R$7.73

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.26 R$6.37

205.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.21 R$6.12

209.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.89 R$4.52

22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.87 R$4.42

197.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.33 R$11.80

119.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.22 R$36.60

175.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.17 R$5.91

139.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.99 R$10.11

76.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.99 R$5.00

23.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$48.92 R$248

51.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.17 R$5.91

85.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.92 R$4.66

69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$7.79 R$39.50

11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.11 R$5.64

39.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.3K R$103.1K

69.84%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$33.4K R$169.4K

15.96%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$86.3 R$438

9.86%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$13.08 R$66.3

176.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$23.04 R$117

130.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.93 R$131

184.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$24.49 R$124

45.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.66 R$38.85

3.26%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$288 R$1,462

70.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,499 R$32.9K

82.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.59 R$251

10.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$55.4 R$281

0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$99.2 R$503

-19.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$65.8 R$333

18.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$533 R$2,702

50.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$296 R$1,499

166.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$927 R$4,697

332.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$607 R$3,075

132.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,850 R$9,380

281.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,188 R$6,021

4.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$373 R$1,889

137.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2% 62.5% $494

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1% 45.6% $159

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5% 44.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9% 33.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4% 54% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2% 33.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul. 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 138% 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 $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $190 – making Santa Cruz do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

133,246

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Nosara
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,423 in Santa Cruz do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz 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 51% less in Santa Cruz do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $288 in Santa Cruz do Sul. 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 Santa Cruz do Sul, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Santa Cruz 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 $949 in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.