Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and São Gabriel

For one person, living is cheaper in São Gabriel: $842 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in São Gabriel
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São Gabriel Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

São Gabriel

🇧🇷 Brazil

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in São Gabriel

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $842 in São Gabriel, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
São Gabriel $842

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,371 in São Gabriel, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
São Gabriel $1,371

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,901 in São Gabriel, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
São Gabriel $1,901

Nosara costs about 118% more than São Gabriel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while São Gabriel is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$5.66 R$28.70

118.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$40.73 R$206

50.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.05 R$35.76

10.07%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.18 R$5.96

276.27%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.37 R$6.96

30.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.02 R$5.19

26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.38 R$6.98

134.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.98 R$15.10

48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.91 R$4.63

70.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.63 R$8.24

88.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.08 R$5.48

134.26%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.42 R$7.22

142.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.15 R$51.5

-27.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.96 R$25.16

106.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$9.84 R$49.87

43.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.17 R$5.92

95.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.49 R$7.58

10.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.02 R$5.19

369.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.76 R$3.86

115.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.23 R$6.25

213.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.78 R$3.95

380.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.88 R$4.44

23.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.89 R$4.50

191.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.76 R$8.92

190.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.06 R$20.58

390.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.13 R$5.71

147.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.63 R$8.25

115.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.03 R$5.23

18.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$44.73 R$227

65.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.28 R$6.51

69.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.81 R$4.13

92.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.44 R$42.79

2.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.33 R$6.74

16.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.4K R$118.5K

47.79%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.4K R$174.3K

12.67%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$75.5 R$382

25.67%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$12.49 R$63.3

189.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$21.98 R$111

141.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$26.34 R$134

180.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$27.73 R$141

28.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.20 R$36.51

9.86%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$281 R$1,425

74.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,317 R$37.1K

62.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$51.5 R$261

6.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$26.26 R$133

112.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$102 R$519

-21.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.4 R$408

-3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$350 R$1,772

129.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$237 R$1,204

232.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$687 R$3,482

482.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$476 R$2,411

196.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,740 R$8,819

306.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,189 R$6,025

3.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.5

-25.04%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for São Gabriel: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

São Gabriel

$238 28.2% 69.9% $552

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

São Gabriel

$179 21.3% 48.7% $170

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

São Gabriel

$103 12.2% 51.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

São Gabriel

$110 13.1% 40.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

São Gabriel

$117 13.9% 3.1% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

São Gabriel

$41 4.8% 54.5% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

São Gabriel

$54 6.4% 38.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $350 in São Gabriel. 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 $41.00 in São Gabriel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $179 – making São Gabriel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 São Gabriel

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

58,487

💱 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 São Gabriel 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
São Gabriel

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 São Gabriel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $842 in São Gabriel – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,263 in São Gabriel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 65% less in São Gabriel. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $281 in São Gabriel. 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 São Gabriel, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Nosara at $1,835. In São Gabriel 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 $842 in São Gabriel 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 São Gabriel. 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.