Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Serra vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Serra $889
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Serra vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Serra $1,317
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Serra vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Serra $1,744
Nosara $3,818

Serra is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Serra sits 34% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 R$24.16

$12.35 ₡5,539

-61.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.99 R$117

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-62.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 R$41.58

$7.52 ₡3,373

9.04%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.57

$4.41 ₡1,978

-52.61%

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

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.74 ₡780

-22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.15

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.88

$3.28 ₡1,471

-40.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.53

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.70

$1.56 ₡701

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$3.02 ₡1,355

-40.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$2.51 ₡1,125

-53.39%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.87

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$23.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

-56.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 R$43.27

$13.97 ₡6,265

-38.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 R$14.53

$2.35 ₡1,052

22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.61 ₡720

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.61 ₡724

0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.96

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.65

$3.69 ₡1,657

-69.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.13 ₡507

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.03

$2.66 ₡1,191

-47.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$5.18 ₡2,321

-51.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 R$28.59

$19.88 ₡8,916

-71.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$2.90 ₡1,300

-66.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.59

$3.63 ₡1,626

-9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.93

$1.12 ₡504

-13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.18 R$239

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-35.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$2.14 ₡958

-38.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.57 ₡703

-28.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 R$34.95

$8.52 ₡3,823

-19.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.52 ₡682

-28.95%

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

$23.5K R$119.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

8.82%

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

$33.8K R$171.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-2.20%

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

$158 R$803

$96.3 ₡43.2K

64.51%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-65.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-60.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$131

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-63.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-20.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$37.95

$7.89 ₡3,539

-5.07%

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

$188 R$955

$494 ₡221.6K

-61.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,726 R$34.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-43.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R$279

$53.9 ₡24.2K

1.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 R$259

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-7.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 R$462

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 R$377

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,271

$788 ₡353.4K

-68.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 R$774

$794 ₡356.2K

-80.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 R$2,261

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-88.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 R$1,117

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-84.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 R$4,917

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-85.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 R$2,852

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-54.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$559 R$2,833

$864 ₡387.3K

-35.28%

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 Serra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$212 23.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 66.3% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$192 21.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.1% $6

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$153 17.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 420% $642

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$122 13.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.7% $2.1

Eating Out

Serra

$111 12.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 90.1% $100

Getting Around

Serra

$58 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 50.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$41 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 114% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Serra 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 55% 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 $23.00 in Serra versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $352 – making Serra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

01:39 1:39 AM

3 h behind Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

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 18, 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 18, 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

Serra Nosara 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Serra
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

Serra vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Serra, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,333 per month in Serra 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 Serra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Serra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $188 per month in Serra and $494 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 Serra, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Serra 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 $889 in Serra 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 Serra. 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.