Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
Learn more

Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $949 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $949
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,089 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089
Nosara $3,814

Santa Cruz do Sul is about 48% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Cruz do Sul sits 30% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 R$30.23

$12.34 ₡5,535

-51.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.87 R$182

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-41.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 R$35.99

$7.76 ₡3,481

-8.51%

Cappuccino

$2.24 R$11.36

$4.44 ₡1,992

-49.55%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$1.79 ₡803

-24.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.46

$1.29 ₡580

-31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.82

$3.24 ₡1,451

-46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$13.70

$4.43 ₡1,985

-39.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.55 ₡696

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.15

$3.08 ₡1,380

-41.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.07

$2.53 ₡1,133

-45.06%

Eggs

$2.24 R$11.36

$3.45 ₡1,546

-35.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 R$45.45

$7.32 ₡3,284

22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 R$24.32

$10.24 ₡4,594

-53.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.87 R$39.91

$14.10 ₡6,326

-44.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.06

$2.29 ₡1,027

-4.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.63

$1.64 ₡737

-32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.99

$4.79 ₡2,149

-75.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.73

$1.64 ₡735

-7.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.37

$3.85 ₡1,727

-67.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$3.75 ₡1,681

-67.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 R$4.52

$1.09 ₡488

-18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.42

$2.59 ₡1,160

-66.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 R$11.80

$5.12 ₡2,295

-54.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 R$36.60

$19.92 ₡8,931

-63.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.91

$2.80 ₡1,255

-58.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.11

$3.52 ₡1,580

-43.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.22 ₡549

-18.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.92 R$248

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-33.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.91

$2.17 ₡973

-46.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.56 ₡698

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 R$39.50

$8.67 ₡3,886

-10.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.55 ₡697

-28.39%

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

$20.3K R$103.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.12%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-13.76%

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

$86.3 R$438

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-8.97%

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

$13.08 R$66.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-63.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.04 R$117

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-56.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.93 R$131

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-64.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.49 R$124

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-31.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R$38.85

$7.91 ₡3,548

-3.16%

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

$288 R$1,462

$490 ₡219.9K

-41.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,499 R$32.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-45.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 R$251

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-9.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 R$281

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 R$503

$80.4 ₡36.0K

23.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 R$333

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,702

$801 ₡359.1K

-33.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R$1,499

$790 ₡354.1K

-62.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 R$4,697

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-76.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 R$3,075

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-56.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 R$9,380

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-73.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-3.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 R$1,889

$887 ₡397.6K

-57.97%

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 Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 167% $494

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 83.8% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 0.4% $0.5

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 78.9% $94

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 51.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 117% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Santa Cruz 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.

Salaries run about 138% 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 $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $350 – making Santa Cruz do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

3 h behind Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

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

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

From you

Santa Cruz 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,423 per month in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 51% less in Santa Cruz do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $288 per month in Santa Cruz 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz do Sul, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Santa Cruz 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 $949 in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.