Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portimao and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Portimao: $1,530 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Portimao
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Portimao Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Portimao

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,530

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Portimao vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Portimao $1,530
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Portimao vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Portimao $2,351
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,172 per month in Portimao vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Portimao $3,172
Nosara $3,818

Portimao is about 17% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portimao and Nosara sit above the global median – Portimao by 13%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 €11.85

$12.35 ₡5,539

7.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 €59.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

9.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 €9.32

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.23%

Cappuccino

$1.77 €1.57

$4.41 ₡1,978

-59.86%

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

$2.12 €1.88

$1.74 ₡780

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.31 ₡587

21.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 €2.21

$3.28 ₡1,471

-24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 €3.79

$4.47 ₡2,004

-4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.56 ₡701

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.02 ₡1,355

-45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$2.51 ₡1,125

-33.47%

Eggs

$3.11 €2.77

$3.57 ₡1,603

-12.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 €10.27

$7.43 ₡3,333

55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.33 €6.52

$10.52 ₡4,717

-30.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 €9.54

$13.97 ₡6,265

-23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.35 ₡1,052

-5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.61 ₡720

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.80 ₡2,152

-71.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.61 ₡724

43.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.13 ₡507

36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$2.66 ₡1,191

-70.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.38

$5.18 ₡2,321

16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.90 ₡1,300

-62.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.63 ₡1,626

-32.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.12 ₡504

73.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.98 €24.00

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-62.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.14 ₡958

60.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.57 ₡703

-33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.72

$8.52 ₡3,823

94.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.52 ₡682

40.13%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

53.61%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.85%

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

$110 €98.3

$96.3 ₡43.2K

14.71%

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

$37.45 €33.31

$35.89 ₡16.1K

4.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.48 €43.13

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-9.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.37 €42.14

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-33.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 €18.94

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-39.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.79 €6.92

$7.89 ₡3,539

-1.27%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,503 €4,005

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 €46.56

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 €20.38

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-58.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 €40.64

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 €60.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 €862

$788 ₡353.4K

22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$794 ₡356.2K

-10.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 €1,514

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,093

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-13.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,245 €3,776

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-38.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 €2,884

$1,224 ₡549.0K

164.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 €876

$864 ₡387.3K

14.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

8.62

-46.87%

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

Last update for Portimao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portimao

$713 46.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 11.4% $81

Groceries & Markets

Portimao

$235 15.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 50% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portimao

$196 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.4% $11

Eating Out

Portimao

$195 12.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 8.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Portimao

$85 5.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 41.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Portimao

$63 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.8% $24

Getting Around

Portimao

$43 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 101% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $969 in Portimao versus $788 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 14% higher in Portimao, 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 $67.0 in Portimao versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Portimao vs $352 in Nosara – so Portimao wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portimao

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

19:14 7:14 PM

7 h behind Portimao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,867

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portimao Nosara 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Portimao
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

Portimao vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,530 in Portimao, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,296 per month in Portimao and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 169% less in Portimao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Portimao, where all-in costs run around $1,530, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Portimao 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 $1,530 in Portimao 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 Portimao. 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.