Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santarem

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,300 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santarem

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,300 in Santarem, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santarem $1,300

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,014 in Santarem, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santarem $2,014

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,729 in Santarem, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santarem $2,729

Nosara costs about 41% more than Santarem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Santarem is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.30 €10.94

0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$39.39 €35.04

55.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.99 €8.00

-16.35%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.71 €1.52

157.89%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.78 €1.59

-2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.15 €1.03

13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.17 €1.93

51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.39 €3.02

31.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.14 €1.01

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.46 €0.41

556.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.09 €0.97

130.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.27 €2.91

9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.05 €9.83

-32.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.14 €6.35

47.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.42 €11.93

4.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.81 €2.50

-16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.36 €1.21

18.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.50 €2.23

92.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.12 €1.88

-24.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.40 €1.25

171.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.55 €1.38

138.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.10 €0.97

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.31 €0.28

758.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.62 €5.00

-7.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.78 €5.14

243.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.22 €1.09

137.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.57 €3.17

1.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.25 €2.00

-50.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$56.4 €50.2

28.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.53 €3.14

-39.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.04 €1.82

-25.49%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.8K €30.1K

-36.06%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.4K €34.1K

-10.03%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$130 €116

-25.96%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$20.74 €18.45

73.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$56.0 €49.81

-4.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.97 €33.78

88.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.65 €5.91

18.65%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$416 €370

18.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.4K €16.4K

-35.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$78.0 €69.3

-30.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$37.74 €33.57

46.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$107 €95.6

-27.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$132 €117

-39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$656 €584

20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$412 €366

92.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,042 €927

277.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$810 €720

75.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,167 €1,927

218.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,103 €981

10.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,068 €950

-19.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.76

81.09%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santarem

$412 31.7% 48.1% $382

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santarem

$226 17.4% 36% $127

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santarem

$175 13.5% 17.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santarem

$207 15.9% 11.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santarem

$160 12.3% 33.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santarem

$51 4% 41.3% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santarem

$69 * 5.3% 20.9% $18

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 $656 in Santarem. 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 24% higher in Santarem, 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 $39.00 in Santarem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $226 – making Santarem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Santarem

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

05:50 5:50 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

58,671

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Santarem 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santarem

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 Santarem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,300 in Santarem – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,949 in Santarem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 29% less in Santarem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $416 in Santarem. 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 Santarem, where all-in costs run around $1,300, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santarem 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 $1,300 in Santarem 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 Santarem. 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.