Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setubal and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Setubal: $1,634 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Setubal
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Setubal Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Setubal

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,634

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,634 per month in Setubal vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Setubal $1,634
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,343 per month in Setubal vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Setubal $2,343
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,052 per month in Setubal vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Setubal $3,052
Nosara $3,818

Setubal is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Setubal and Nosara sit above the global median – Setubal by 21%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €10.97

$12.35 ₡5,539

-0.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 €41.92

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-22.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 €8.14

$7.52 ₡3,373

21.68%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.79

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.42%

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

$2.03 €1.81

$1.74 ₡780

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.31 ₡587

16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.47 ₡2,004

-25.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.56 ₡701

-32.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.51 ₡1,125

-32.27%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$3.57 ₡1,603

-8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 €10.43

$7.43 ₡3,333

57.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 €6.61

$10.52 ₡4,717

-29.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 €13.08

$13.97 ₡6,265

5.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.35 ₡1,052

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.61 ₡720

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.61 ₡724

73.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.13 ₡507

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 €5.05

$5.18 ₡2,321

9.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-78.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.63 ₡1,626

-40.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.33 €3.85

$1.12 ₡504

286.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.52 €40.49

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-37.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.14 ₡958

72.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.57 ₡703

-13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 €12.54

$8.52 ₡3,823

65.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.52 ₡682

39.47%

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

$33.9K €30.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.70%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.55%

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

$100 €89.2

$96.3 ₡43.2K

4.16%

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

$20.39 €18.14

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-43.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.54 €28.95

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.94 €27.52

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 €14.15

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.95 €7.08

$7.89 ₡3,539

0.76%

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

$575 €511

$494 ₡221.6K

16.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,430

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 €59.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

23.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 €33.32

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 €62.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 €84.5

$79.6 ₡35.7K

19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 €884

$788 ₡353.4K

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 €724

$794 ₡356.2K

2.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 €1,411

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-59.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-18.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,100 €3,647

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-40.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 €2,084

$1,224 ₡549.0K

91.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 €1,109

$864 ₡387.3K

44.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Setubal: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setubal

$814 49.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 2.4% $19

Groceries & Markets

Setubal

$244 14.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 44.6% $109

Eating Out

Setubal

$182 11.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 16.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setubal

$153 9.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Setubal

$121 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1% $1.2

Getting Around

Setubal

$73 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 18.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Setubal

$47 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 86.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Setubal 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 44% higher in Setubal, 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 $47.00 in Setubal versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $352 – making Setubal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Setubal

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

7 h behind Setubal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,519

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Setubal Nosara 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Setubal
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

Setubal vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,634 in Setubal, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,451 per month in Setubal 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 Setubal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Setubal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $575 per month in Setubal and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Setubal, where all-in costs run around $1,634, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Setubal 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 $1,634 in Setubal 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 Setubal. 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.