Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petropolis and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Petropolis: $1,011 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Petropolis
Learn more

Petropolis Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Petropolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,011

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petropolis 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 Petropolis and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,011 per month in Petropolis vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Petropolis $1,011
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,516 per month in Petropolis vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Petropolis $1,516
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,021 per month in Petropolis vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Petropolis $2,021
Nosara $3,814

Petropolis is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Petropolis sits 25% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 R$30.78

$12.34 ₡5,535

-50.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 R$146

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-52.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.02

$7.76 ₡3,481

-10.95%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$8.64

$4.44 ₡1,992

-61.71%

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

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.79 ₡803

-26.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.93

$1.29 ₡580

-55.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.15

$3.24 ₡1,451

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 R$23.79

$4.43 ₡1,985

5.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$4.70

$1.55 ₡696

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 R$7.69

$3.08 ₡1,380

-50.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.24

$2.53 ₡1,133

-43.48%

Eggs

$2.04 R$10.32

$3.45 ₡1,546

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$46.60

$7.32 ₡3,284

25.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 R$21.93

$10.24 ₡4,594

-57.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.57 R$48.50

$14.10 ₡6,326

-32.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.33

$2.29 ₡1,027

-28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 R$5.83

$1.64 ₡737

-29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.94

$4.79 ₡2,149

-79.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.11

$1.64 ₡735

-26.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 R$3.31

$3.85 ₡1,727

-83.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 R$4.40

$3.75 ₡1,681

-76.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 R$2.92

$1.09 ₡488

-46.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.10

$2.59 ₡1,160

-76.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 R$10.96

$5.12 ₡2,295

-57.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 R$29.79

$19.92 ₡8,931

-70.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R$5.27

$2.80 ₡1,255

-62.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.21

$3.52 ₡1,580

-59.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.24

$1.22 ₡549

-15.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.31 R$250

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-33.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R$5.82

$2.17 ₡973

-47.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.15

$1.56 ₡698

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 R$40.60

$8.67 ₡3,886

-7.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.55 ₡697

-20.00%

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

$20.9K R$105.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-39.60%

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

$31.2K R$158.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-19.40%

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

$70.9 R$359

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-25.25%

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

$9.78 R$49.60

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-72.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 R$94.9

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-64.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 R$162

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-56.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.15 R$163

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-9.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 R$36.02

$7.91 ₡3,548

-10.24%

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

$362 R$1,836

$490 ₡219.9K

-26.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$56.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R$280

$54.8 ₡24.6K

0.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.65 R$252

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-11.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 R$447

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.1 R$350

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-11.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,671

$801 ₡359.1K

-34.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,033

$790 ₡354.1K

-49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R$4,241

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-79.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 R$3,194

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-55.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 R$13.9K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 R$10.1K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

60.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 R$3,110

$887 ₡397.6K

-30.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.87

8.62

37.70%

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

Last update for Petropolis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petropolis

$401 39.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 96.9% $389

Groceries & Markets

Petropolis

$174 17.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 101% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Petropolis

$118 11.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Petropolis

$113 11.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 88.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petropolis

$99 9.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 85.2% $85

Getting Around

Petropolis

$60 5.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 48.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Petropolis

$46 4.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 94.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $527 in Petropolis 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.

Salaries run about 45% 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 $29.00 in Petropolis versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $350 – making Petropolis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Petropolis

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

3 h behind Petropolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,881

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 20, 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 20, 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

Petropolis Nosara 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Petropolis
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

Petropolis vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,011 in Petropolis, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,517 per month in Petropolis 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 Petropolis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Petropolis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $362 per month in Petropolis and $490 in Nosara. 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 Petropolis, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Petropolis 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 $1,011 in Petropolis 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 Petropolis. 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.