Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sao Jose dos Campos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos: $1,050 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,050

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,660 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,660

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,270 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Sao Jose dos Campos $2,270

Nosara costs about 75% more than Sao Jose dos Campos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Sao Jose dos Campos is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.08 R$35.33

72.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$39.82 R$199

51.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.10 R$45.41

-17.14%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.30 R$11.46

87.39%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.70 R$8.47

1.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.17 R$5.82

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.87 R$14.35

12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.35 R$21.71

2.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.20 R$5.99

30.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.08 R$10.36

52.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.19 R$5.96

103.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.70 R$13.48

32.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.14 R$45.61

-18.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.45 R$22.21

134.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$10.75 R$53.7

27.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.84 R$14.17

-18.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.87 R$9.34

-13.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.84 R$9.21

157.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.88 R$9.38

-11.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.43 R$7.13

160.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.37 R$6.82

160.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.95 R$4.72

15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.80 R$3.99

218.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.82 R$14.08

75.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.00 R$44.91

122.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.73 R$8.66

61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.41 R$22.00

-19.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.18 R$5.91

0.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$38.37 R$192

87.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.35 R$6.72

65.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.42 R$7.08

9.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$9.39 R$46.89

-5.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.27 R$6.36

23.62%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.9K R$119.1K

-8.62%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$33.8K R$168.9K

2.35%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$43.80 R$219

113.36%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.25 R$71.1

146.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$18.34 R$91.5

180.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$29.98 R$150

138.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$34.77 R$174

1.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.92 R$39.53

-1.01%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$433 R$2,161

13.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,714 R$38.5K

54.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$56.6 R$283

-5.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$59.8 R$298

-6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$96.3 R$480

-17.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$84.5 R$422

-6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$485 R$2,421

62.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$361 R$1,802

116.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$974 R$4,864

296.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$664 R$3,317

111.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,085 R$10.4K

234.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,498 R$7,477

-19.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$813 R$4,059

7.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.12

-22.48%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$361 34.6% 53.7% $419

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$228 21.9% 34.7% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$146 14% 30.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$76 7.3% 57.6% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.8% 11.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$46 4.4% 47.4% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$52 4.9% 40.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $485 in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 8% 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 $40.00 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $228 – making Sao Jose dos Campos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

697,054

💱 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 Jose dos Campos 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,575 in Sao Jose dos Campos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 88% less in Sao Jose dos Campos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $433 in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 Jose dos Campos, where all-in costs run around $1,050, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sao Jose dos Campos 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 $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos 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 Jose dos Campos. 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.