Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $834 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
Learn more

Sao Luis Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $834 per month in Sao Luis vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Luis $834
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Sao Luis vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Luis $1,310
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,786 per month in Sao Luis vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Luis $1,786
Nosara $3,712

Sao Luis is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Luis sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.60 R$32.93

$12.22 ₡5,509

-45.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.74 R$198

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-33.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$34.03

$7.54 ₡3,399

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$2.15 R$10.71

$4.31 ₡1,941

-50.12%

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

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.72 ₡773

-26.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.65

$1.35 ₡608

-45.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 R$9.77

$3.24 ₡1,459

-39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R$12.16

$4.48 ₡2,018

-45.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.52

$1.57 ₡707

-29.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$9.64

$3.17 ₡1,429

-39.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.54

$2.42 ₡1,091

-54.13%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.31

$3.57 ₡1,609

-36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 R$50.6

$7.43 ₡3,349

36.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 R$21.36

$10.42 ₡4,697

-58.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 R$38.12

$13.66 ₡6,156

-44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.55

$2.32 ₡1,044

-9.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$6.95

$1.61 ₡728

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.09

$4.74 ₡2,138

-74.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.66 ₡747

4.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.64

$3.72 ₡1,679

-64.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.67

$3.57 ₡1,611

-62.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 R$4.47

$1.10 ₡497

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.62

$2.55 ₡1,149

-71.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 R$12.17

$4.95 ₡2,232

-50.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 R$41.00

$20.01 ₡9,020

-58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.36

$2.79 ₡1,256

-54.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R$11.60

$3.53 ₡1,589

-34.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.27

$1.19 ₡537

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.52 R$192

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-46.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.12

$2.24 ₡1,011

-54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 R$4.70

$1.55 ₡701

-39.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.05

$1.57 ₡708

-22.93%

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

$24.2K R$120.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

10.82%

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

$30.4K R$151.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-12.35%

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

$97.5 R$487

$93.5 ₡42.1K

4.29%

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

$18.02 R$90.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-48.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.42 R$107

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-58.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.11 R$100

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-71.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 R$76.2

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-56.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 R$34.14

$7.84 ₡3,535

-12.76%

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

$183 R$915

$490 ₡220.7K

-62.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,911 R$14.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-75.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 R$323

$53.5 ₡24.1K

20.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 R$273

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-2.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 R$375

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-5.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 R$294

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 R$1,812

$786 ₡354.3K

-53.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 R$935

$780 ₡351.6K

-75.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$2,893

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-84.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 R$1,648

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-76.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 R$7,864

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-77.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$721 R$3,598

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-39.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$386 R$1,929

$876 ₡395.0K

-55.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$197 23.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 77% $152

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$187 22.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 316% $593

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$137 16.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 31.5% $43

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 72.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 5.5% $6.3

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$48 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 82.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 158% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $363 in Sao Luis 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 127% 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 $40.00 in Sao Luis versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $350 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

3 h behind Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

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

Sao Luis Nosara 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
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 Luis vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $834 in Sao Luis, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,251 per month in Sao Luis 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 Sao Luis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Sao Luis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $183 per month in Sao Luis 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 Sao Luis, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sao Luis 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 $834 in Sao Luis 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 Sao Luis. 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.