Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
Learn more

Palmas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palmas and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palmas and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $834 per month in Palmas vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Palmas $834
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,292 per month in Palmas vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Palmas $1,292
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,751 per month in Palmas vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Palmas $1,751
Nosara $3,814

Palmas is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 R$20.06

$12.34 ₡5,535

-67.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 R$102

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-67.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 R$40.93

$7.76 ₡3,481

3.99%

Cappuccino

$1.43 R$7.27

$4.44 ₡1,992

-67.79%

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

$1.82 R$9.21

$1.79 ₡803

1.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.69

$1.29 ₡580

-13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 R$7.22

$3.24 ₡1,451

-56.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R$15.70

$4.43 ₡1,985

-30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.47

$1.55 ₡696

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.45

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.53 ₡1,133

-50.99%

Eggs

$2.67 R$13.52

$3.45 ₡1,546

-22.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 R$36.11

$7.32 ₡3,284

-2.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 R$15.80

$10.24 ₡4,594

-69.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.31 R$31.98

$14.10 ₡6,326

-55.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$10.98

$2.29 ₡1,027

-5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.85

$1.64 ₡737

6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$4.79 ₡2,149

-74.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.21

$1.64 ₡735

-25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.42

$3.85 ₡1,727

-67.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.43

$3.75 ₡1,681

-71.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.91

$1.09 ₡488

-29.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.91

$2.59 ₡1,160

-70.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.48

$5.12 ₡2,295

-51.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 R$36.30

$19.92 ₡8,931

-64.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$6.71

$2.80 ₡1,255

-52.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 R$10.66

$3.52 ₡1,580

-40.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.72

$1.22 ₡549

-40.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.43 R$220

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-41.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$2.17 ₡973

-39.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.28

$1.56 ₡698

-46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 R$39.74

$8.67 ₡3,886

-9.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.55 ₡697

-22.58%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.70%

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

$33.0K R$167.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-14.82%

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

$115 R$581

$94.8 ₡42.5K

20.96%

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

$11.64 R$59.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-67.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.99 R$101

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.48 R$119

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-68.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 R$139

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-23.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 R$33.36

$7.91 ₡3,548

-16.81%

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

$155 R$785

$490 ₡219.9K

-68.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,304 R$37.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-38.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.91 R$187

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-32.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 R$256

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 R$583

$80.4 ₡36.0K

42.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 R$368

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 R$1,514

$801 ₡359.1K

-62.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,035

$790 ₡354.1K

-74.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 R$3,162

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-84.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 R$2,165

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-69.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,718 R$8,707

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-75.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,207 R$6,116

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-2.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

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

Last update for Palmas: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmas

$204 24.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 287% $585

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$173 20.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 102% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$146 17.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 25.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$124 14.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.2% $2.7

Eating Out

Palmas

$98 11.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 117% $115

Getting Around

Palmas

$52 6.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 70.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$37 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 145% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Palmas versus $801 in Nosara. 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 $20.00 in Palmas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $350 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

3 h behind Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palmas Nosara 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
Nosara

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

Palmas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $834 in Palmas, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,250 per month in Palmas and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 70% less in Palmas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $155 per month in Palmas and $490 in Nosara. 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 Palmas, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Palmas 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 $834 in Palmas 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 Palmas. 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.