Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,822 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,586 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586
Nosara $3,818

Sao Caetano do Sul is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Caetano do Sul sits 22% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.89 R$44.60

$12.35 ₡5,547

-28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$201

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-34.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 R$44.01

$7.52 ₡3,377

16.62%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.96

$4.41 ₡1,981

-46.03%

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

$1.33 R$6.66

$1.74 ₡781

-23.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.66

$1.31 ₡588

-29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.82

$3.28 ₡1,473

-28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 R$20.06

$4.47 ₡2,007

-10.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.95

$1.56 ₡702

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.30

$3.02 ₡1,357

-32.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.23

$2.51 ₡1,127

-42.63%

Eggs

$2.48 R$12.43

$3.57 ₡1,605

-30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$53.7

$7.43 ₡3,338

44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 R$27.26

$10.52 ₡4,724

-48.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 R$54.8

$13.97 ₡6,274

-21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.98

$2.35 ₡1,054

1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.65

$1.61 ₡721

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.76

$4.80 ₡2,155

-67.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R$10.43

$1.61 ₡725

29.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.02

$3.80 ₡1,706

-63.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.34

$3.69 ₡1,659

-65.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.62

$1.13 ₡507

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.08

$2.66 ₡1,193

-69.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.49

$5.18 ₡2,324

-51.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 R$44.99

$19.88 ₡8,929

-54.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 R$8.79

$2.90 ₡1,302

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 R$12.92

$3.63 ₡1,628

-28.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 R$3.43

$1.12 ₡505

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.64

$2.14 ₡959

-38.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.13

$1.57 ₡704

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 R$44.47

$8.52 ₡3,828

3.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.72

$1.52 ₡683

-11.84%

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

$24.5K R$123.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

13.55%

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

$32.6K R$163.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.62%

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

$103 R$517

$96.3 ₡43.2K

6.93%

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

$14.91 R$74.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 R$115

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-57.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 R$253

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-29.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 R$231

$34.91 ₡15.7K

31.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 R$50.9

$7.89 ₡3,544

28.52%

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

$437 R$2,192

$494 ₡221.9K

-11.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-5.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 R$328

$53.9 ₡24.2K

21.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$288

$55.4 ₡24.9K

3.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R$493

$77.9 ₡35.0K

26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 R$467

$79.6 ₡35.8K

17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 R$2,104

$788 ₡353.9K

-46.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 R$1,559

$794 ₡356.7K

-60.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 R$4,349

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-78.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 R$4,353

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-38.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 R$9,483

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 R$7,201

$1,224 ₡549.8K

17.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 R$4,773

$864 ₡387.8K

10.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

8.62

25.41%

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

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 156% $484

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 52.6% $121

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.7% $17

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 850% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 10% higher in Sao Caetano do Sul, 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 $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $352 – making Sao Caetano do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

3 h behind Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Caetano do Sul Nosara 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,588 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 Sao Caetano do Sul, 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 $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 53% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Caetano do Sul, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sao Caetano 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 $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 Sao Caetano 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.