Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quarteira and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Quarteira: $1,720 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Quarteira
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Quarteira Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Quarteira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,720

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,720 per month in Quarteira vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Quarteira $1,720
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,512 per month in Quarteira vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Quarteira $2,512
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,304 per month in Quarteira vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Quarteira $3,304
Nosara $3,818

Quarteira is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quarteira and Nosara sit above the global median – Quarteira by 27%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 €12.19

$12.35 ₡5,539

10.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 €52.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 €9.78

$7.52 ₡3,373

46.14%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.28%

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

$2.25 €2.00

$1.74 ₡780

29.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.31 ₡587

25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.28 ₡1,471

-14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$4.47 ₡2,004

-45.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.56 ₡701

-35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.33

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.51 ₡1,125

-41.43%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.13

$3.57 ₡1,603

-1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 €11.17

$7.43 ₡3,333

68.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 €5.49

$10.52 ₡4,717

-41.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 €10.15

$13.97 ₡6,265

-18.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.35 ₡1,052

-8.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.61 ₡720

-11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.61 ₡724

55.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.69 ₡1,657

-47.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.13 ₡507

24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.74

$2.66 ₡1,191

-68.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 €5.68

$5.18 ₡2,321

23.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.98 €4.43

$19.88 ₡8,916

-74.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.90 ₡1,300

-66.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.63 ₡1,626

-43.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 €4.62

$1.12 ₡504

364.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 €3.35

$2.14 ₡958

76.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.57 ₡703

-31.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$8.52 ₡3,823

93.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.52 ₡682

37.50%

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

$33.9K €30.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.99%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.70%

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

$163 €145

$96.3 ₡43.2K

68.96%

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

$19.17 €17.05

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-46.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 €30.50

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-36.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 €78.2

$71.6 ₡32.1K

22.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 €8.78

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.10%

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

$452 €402

$494 ₡221.6K

-8.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,700

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-8.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 €63.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

32.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 €39.72

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

32.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$79.6 ₡35.7K

49.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €758

$788 ₡353.4K

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €697

$794 ₡356.2K

-1.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,278

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-63.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 €1,068

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-15.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 €1,177

$864 ₡387.3K

53.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

8.62

-58.58%

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

Last update for Quarteira: 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

Quarteira

$784 45.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1.3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Quarteira

$231 13.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 52.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quarteira

$216 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.1% $30

Eating Out

Quarteira

$199 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 6.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Quarteira

$152 8.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Quarteira

$108 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.8% $20

Getting Around

Quarteira

$30 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 191% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Quarteira 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 53% higher in Quarteira, 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 $59.0 in Quarteira versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $352 – making Quarteira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Quarteira

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

21:37 9:37 PM

7 h behind Quarteira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,421

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

Quarteira Nosara 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Quarteira
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

Quarteira vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,720 in Quarteira, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,580 per month in Quarteira 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 Quarteira, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Quarteira and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% 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 Quarteira, where all-in costs run around $1,720, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Quarteira 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 $1,720 in Quarteira 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 Quarteira. 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.