Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sesimbra

For one person, living is cheaper in Sesimbra: $1,603 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sesimbra
Learn more

Sesimbra Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sesimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sesimbra

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,603 in Sesimbra, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sesimbra $1,603

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,327 in Sesimbra, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sesimbra $2,327

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,052 in Sesimbra, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sesimbra $3,052

Nosara costs about 15% more than Sesimbra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Sesimbra sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Sesimbra by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.12 €10.78

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$44.34 €39.44

37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.89 €7.91

-15.41%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.55 €2.27

72.94%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.13 €1.89

-18.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.44 €1.28

-9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.32 €2.96

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.84 €3.41

16.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.06 €0.95

47.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.95 €1.74

54.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.61 €1.44

55.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.46 €3.08

3.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.75 €9.56

-30.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.83 €6.07

54.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.97 €13.32

-6.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.70 €2.40

-12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.41 €1.25

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.84 €1.64

160.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.24 €1.99

-28.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.59 €1.41

138.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.14 €1.90

72.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.54 €1.37

-26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.78 €0.70

241.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.91 €5.26

-12.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.56 €4.06

335.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.87 €0.78

233.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.16 €2.81

14.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.18 €1.94

-48.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$41.52 €36.93

74.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.21 €1.96

-3.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.08 €0.96

45.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$15.37 €13.67

-44.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.06 €1.84

-26.21%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.7K €30.0K

-35.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$37.3K €33.2K

-7.46%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$99.6 €88.6

-3.33%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$20.43 €18.17

75.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.24 €37.57

26.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.08 €36.54

74.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.44 €15.52

100.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.41 €6.59

6.48%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$598 €532

-17.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.4K €10.1K

4.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$67.1 €59.7

-19.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$37.76 €33.59

46.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.2 €62.4

11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$94.7 €84.2

-15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$943 €839

-16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$766 €682

3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,544 €1,374

155.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,153 €1,026

23.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,745 €2,441

151.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,929 €1,716

-36.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,420 €1,263

-39.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sesimbra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sesimbra

$766 47.8% 3.5% $28

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sesimbra

$247 15.4% 30% $106

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sesimbra

$193 12% 9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sesimbra

$162 10.1% 12.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sesimbra

$121 7.6% 1.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sesimbra

$56 3.5% 36% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sesimbra

$58 3.6% 33.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $943 in Sesimbra. 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 64% higher in Sesimbra, 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 $44.00 in Sesimbra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $247 – making Sesimbra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Sesimbra

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

04:17 4:17 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

52,394

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sesimbra 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sesimbra

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 Sesimbra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,603 in Sesimbra – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,405 in Sesimbra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Sesimbra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $598 in Sesimbra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sesimbra, where all-in costs run around $1,603, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sesimbra 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 $1,603 in Sesimbra 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 Sesimbra. 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.