Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,132 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,132

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,132 per month in Santos vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Santos $1,132
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,745 per month in Santos vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Santos $1,745
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,359 per month in Santos vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Santos $2,359
Nosara $3,712

Santos is about 38% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santos sits 16% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 R$38.94

$12.22 ₡5,509

-36.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.51 R$162

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-46.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$34.48

$7.54 ₡3,399

-8.36%

Cappuccino

$2.78 R$13.86

$4.31 ₡1,941

-35.50%

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

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.72 ₡773

-18.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.03

$1.35 ₡608

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 R$13.17

$3.24 ₡1,459

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R$14.80

$4.48 ₡2,018

-33.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.38

$1.57 ₡707

-31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.22

$3.17 ₡1,429

-41.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.91

$2.42 ₡1,091

-42.98%

Eggs

$2.52 R$12.56

$3.57 ₡1,609

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.16 R$60.7

$7.43 ₡3,349

63.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R$24.49

$10.42 ₡4,697

-52.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 R$50.2

$13.66 ₡6,156

-26.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R$10.60

$2.32 ₡1,044

-8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.27

$1.61 ₡728

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.89

$4.74 ₡2,138

-58.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.01

$1.66 ₡747

9.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.59

$3.72 ₡1,679

-64.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.49

$3.57 ₡1,611

-63.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R$6.03

$1.10 ₡497

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$2.55 ₡1,149

-64.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.11

$4.95 ₡2,232

-50.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.85

$20.01 ₡9,020

-59.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$6.95

$2.79 ₡1,256

-50.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$9.49

$3.53 ₡1,589

-46.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R$5.59

$1.19 ₡537

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 R$252

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-30.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 R$7.56

$2.24 ₡1,011

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 R$8.10

$1.55 ₡701

4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.35 R$91.6

$8.86 ₡3,993

107.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.57 ₡708

-19.11%

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

$23.9K R$119.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

9.45%

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

$33.1K R$165.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-4.48%

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

$104 R$518

$93.5 ₡42.1K

11.05%

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

$12.45 R$62.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.68 R$113

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-55.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.14 R$145

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-59.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.9 R$284

$35.44 ₡16.0K

60.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 R$45.06

$7.84 ₡3,535

15.18%

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

$277 R$1,385

$490 ₡220.7K

-43.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K R$51.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-12.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R$280

$53.5 ₡24.1K

4.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 R$184

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-33.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 R$486

$79.3 ₡35.7K

22.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 R$300

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 R$2,677

$786 ₡354.3K

-31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R$2,106

$780 ₡351.6K

-45.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 R$4,933

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-74.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 R$3,547

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-49.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 R$12.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-64.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 R$8,955

$1,201 ₡541.3K

49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 R$2,922

$876 ₡395.0K

-33.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

8.62

48.38%

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

Last update for Santos: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santos

$422 36.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 84.8% $358

Groceries & Markets

Santos

$221 19.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 58.4% $129

Eating Out

Santos

$145 12.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 44.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santos

$139 12.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 29.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Santos

$113 9.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 6.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Santos

$65 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Santos

$47 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 84.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Santos versus $786 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 50% 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 $33.00 in Santos versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $350 – making Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

00:04 12:04 AM

3 h behind Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,608

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santos Nosara 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santos
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

Santos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,132 in Santos, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,698 per month in Santos and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 43% less in Santos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $277 per month in Santos and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santos, where all-in costs run around $1,132, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Santos 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 $1,132 in Santos to $1,837 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 Santos. 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.