Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio do Sul and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio do Sul: $818 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Rio do Sul
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Rio do Sul Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Rio do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$818

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $818 per month in Rio do Sul vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Rio do Sul $818
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,282 per month in Rio do Sul vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Rio do Sul $1,282
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,747 per month in Rio do Sul vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Rio do Sul $1,747
Nosara $3,814

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

Rio do Sul sits 40% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 R$25.60

$12.34 ₡5,535

-59.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.25 R$113

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-63.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 R$40.74

$7.76 ₡3,481

3.61%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R$10.75

$4.44 ₡1,992

-52.25%

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

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.79 ₡803

-36.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.49

$1.29 ₡580

-31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 R$14.30

$3.24 ₡1,451

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 R$20.46

$4.43 ₡1,985

-8.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.17

$1.55 ₡696

-34.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 R$9.84

$3.08 ₡1,380

-37.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$2.53 ₡1,133

-46.25%

Eggs

$1.64 R$8.33

$3.45 ₡1,546

-52.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 R$39.94

$7.32 ₡3,284

7.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.57

$10.24 ₡4,594

-60.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 R$35.84

$14.10 ₡6,326

-49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.01

$2.29 ₡1,027

-31.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.44

$1.64 ₡737

-34.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 R$4.00

$4.79 ₡2,149

-83.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.12

$1.64 ₡735

-14.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.38

$3.85 ₡1,727

-77.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 R$3.98

$3.75 ₡1,681

-78.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$3.74

$1.09 ₡488

-32.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.90

$2.59 ₡1,160

-70.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.98 R$15.13

$5.12 ₡2,295

-41.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.07 R$20.64

$19.92 ₡8,931

-79.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.64

$2.80 ₡1,255

-53.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.75

$3.52 ₡1,580

-28.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.22 ₡549

-13.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.59 R$221

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-41.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$2.17 ₡973

-39.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.97

$1.56 ₡698

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 R$30.82

$8.67 ₡3,886

-29.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.16

$1.55 ₡697

-21.94%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-32.19%

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

$33.8K R$171.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-12.73%

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

$64.7 R$328

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-31.77%

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

$9.83 R$49.86

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-72.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.96 R$106

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-60.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.42 R$134

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-64.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.93 R$142

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-21.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 R$25.26

$7.91 ₡3,548

-37.04%

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

$312 R$1,583

$490 ₡219.9K

-36.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$55.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-7.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 R$252

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-9.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 R$281

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-0.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 R$404

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.49 R$251

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 R$1,838

$801 ₡359.1K

-54.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,218

$790 ₡354.1K

-69.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,477

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-82.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 R$2,383

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-66.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,680 R$8,518

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-76.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 R$6,109

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-2.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

8.62

33.87%

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

Last update for Rio do Sul: 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

Rio do Sul

$240 29.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 229% $549

Groceries & Markets

Rio do Sul

$167 20.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 109% $182

Eating Out

Rio do Sul

$120 14.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 76.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Rio do Sul

$105 12.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 14.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio do Sul

$96 11.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 92.7% $89

Getting Around

Rio do Sul

$53 6.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 67.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Rio do Sul

$36 4.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 146% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $363 in Rio do Sul 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 $22.00 in Rio do Sul versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $350 – making Rio do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio do Sul

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

3 h behind Rio do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,587

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 21, 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 21, 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

Rio do Sul Nosara 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio do Sul
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

Rio do Sul vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $818 in Rio do Sul, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 124% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,227 per month in Rio do Sul 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 Rio do Sul, 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 Rio do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $312 per month in Rio do Sul 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 Rio do Sul, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Rio do Sul 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 $818 in Rio do Sul 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 Rio do Sul. 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.