Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Serra

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $889 in Serra, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Serra $889

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,317 in Serra, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Serra $1,317

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,744 in Serra, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Serra $1,744

Nosara costs about 107% more than Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Serra is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.77 R$24.16

158.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.99 R$117

166.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.20 R$41.58

-8.29%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.09 R$10.57

111.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.34 R$6.77

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.62 R$3.15

111.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.95 R$9.88

68.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.06 R$15.53

46.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 R$5.70

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.80 R$9.13

67.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.17 R$5.95

114.53%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.14 R$10.87

66.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.49 R$53.2

-29.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.58 R$23.22

129.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.54 R$43.27

63.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.87 R$14.53

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.53 R$7.74

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.83 R$9.28

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.62 R$8.20

-0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.18 R$5.96

222.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.11 R$5.65

232.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.34 R$6.78

-15.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.39 R$7.03

91.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.49 R$12.62

108.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.64 R$28.59

252.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.98 R$4.98

195.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.27 R$16.59

11.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.97 R$4.93

15.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$47.18 R$239

53.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.31 R$6.66

63.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.13 R$5.72

38.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.89 R$34.95

23.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.08 R$5.49

40.74%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.5K R$119.2K

-8.10%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.8K R$171.1K

2.25%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$158 R$803

-39.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.30 R$62.4

191.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$21.05 R$107

154.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.83 R$131

177.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$27.87 R$141

25.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.49 R$37.95

5.34%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$188 R$955

162.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,726 R$34.1K

76.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.0 R$279

-1.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$51.1 R$259

8.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$91.1 R$462

-14.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$74.3 R$377

7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$251 R$1,271

214.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$153 R$774

420.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$446 R$2,261

783.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$220 R$1,117

543.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$970 R$4,917

612.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$563 R$2,852

117.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$559 R$2,833

54.52%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Serra

$153 17.2% 80.8% $642

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Serra

$212 23.8% 39.9% $140

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Serra

$111 12.5% 47.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Serra

$192 21.6% 3.2% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Serra

$122 13.8% 1.7% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Serra

$41 4.6% 53.3% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Serra

$58 6.5% 33.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $251 in Serra. 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 55% 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 $23.00 in Serra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $212 – making Serra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

520,653

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Serra 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Serra

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $889 in Serra – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,333 in Serra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 54% less in Serra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $188 in Serra. 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 Serra, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Serra 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 $889 in Serra 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 Serra. 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.