Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $1,003 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sao Carlos

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,003 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Sao Carlos $1,003

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,742 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Sao Carlos $1,742

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,480 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Sao Carlos $2,480

Nosara costs about 83% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Sao Carlos is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.15 R$25.69

137.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$40.83 R$204

47.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.16 R$35.74

5.31%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.09 R$10.42

106.22%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.35 R$6.74

27.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.75 R$3.75

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.63 R$8.14

98.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.74 R$13.70

63.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.37 R$6.81

14.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.97 R$9.83

60.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.87 R$9.32

29.41%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.88 R$14.36

23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$12.62 R$63.0

-41.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.42 R$27.04

92.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.53 R$47.59

43.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.68 R$13.40

-13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.90 R$9.50

-15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.81 R$9.04

161.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.91 R$9.55

-13.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.67 R$8.34

122.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.43 R$7.14

149.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.98 R$4.87

12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.16 R$5.80

119.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.15 R$15.74

57.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.61 R$42.96

132.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.47 R$7.32

89.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.95 R$14.75

19.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.01 R$5.06

17.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$23.73 R$118

203.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.49 R$7.42

50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.97 R$4.86

59.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.64 R$18.16

143.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.22 R$6.08

28.69%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$20.4K R$101.9K

6.85%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$31.9K R$159.2K

8.60%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$63.2 R$316

47.84%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.95 R$69.7

151.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$24.86 R$124

107.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$34.12 R$170

109.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$48.34 R$241

-26.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.42 R$27.07

44.65%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$297 R$1,481

64.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,987 R$14.9K

297.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$84.3 R$421

-36.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$97.3 R$486

-42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$139 R$693

-42.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$164 R$819

-51.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$268 R$1,336

193.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$235 R$1,172

232.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$671 R$3,349

475.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$661 R$3,300

112.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$849 R$4,237

721.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$750 R$3,744

60.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$693 R$3,460

26.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.75

-19.81%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Sao Carlos

$235 23.8% 69.9% $545

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Sao Carlos

$244 24.7% 30.3% $106

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Sao Carlos

$110 11.1% 47.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Sao Carlos

$102 10.3% 43.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 81.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sao Carlos

$45 4.6% 48.4% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 60.7% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $268 in Sao Carlos. 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 26% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Sao Carlos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $244 – making Sao Carlos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

00:51 12:51 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

254,857

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sao Carlos 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sao Carlos

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 Sao Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,003 in Sao Carlos – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,505 in Sao Carlos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 204% less in Sao Carlos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $297 in Sao Carlos. 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 Sao Carlos, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sao Carlos 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 $1,003 in Sao Carlos to $1,837 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 Sao Carlos. 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.