Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilamoura and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilamoura: $1,637 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Vilamoura
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Vilamoura Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Vilamoura

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,637

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,637 per month in Vilamoura vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Vilamoura $1,637
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,416 per month in Vilamoura vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Vilamoura $2,416
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,195 per month in Vilamoura vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Vilamoura $3,195
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 €12.17

$12.35 ₡5,539

10.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.53

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.53%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.71

$4.41 ₡1,978

-56.46%

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

$2.33 €2.07

$1.74 ₡780

33.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.31 ₡587

30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.28 ₡1,471

-13.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$4.47 ₡2,004

-44.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.51 ₡1,125

-41.43%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.10

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$7.43 ₡3,333

71.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 €5.25

$10.52 ₡4,717

-43.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.01

$13.97 ₡6,265

-19.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.35 ₡1,052

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.61 ₡720

-17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.80 ₡2,152

-67.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.61 ₡724

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.13 ₡507

20.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.66 ₡1,191

-68.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$5.18 ₡2,321

24.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.95

$19.88 ₡8,916

-71.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$2.90 ₡1,300

-57.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.63 ₡1,626

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.12 ₡504

101.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 €36.91

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 €3.37

$2.14 ₡958

77.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.57 ₡703

-29.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.89 €15.02

$8.52 ₡3,823

98.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.52 ₡682

34.87%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.06%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.86%

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

$135 €120

$96.3 ₡43.2K

40.34%

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

$18.88 €16.80

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-47.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.59 €29.88

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-37.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.28 €29.60

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.57 €14.74

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-52.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.40 €8.36

$7.89 ₡3,539

19.14%

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

$450 €400

$494 ₡221.6K

-8.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,840

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 €62.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

29.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.85 €39.01

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

29.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.2

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 €847

$788 ₡353.4K

20.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 €674

$794 ₡356.2K

-4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 €2,152

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 €1,057

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-16.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,027 €2,692

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-56.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,280 €2,028

$1,224 ₡549.0K

86.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,066 €948

$864 ₡387.3K

23.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

8.62

-58.58%

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

Last update for Vilamoura: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilamoura

$757 46.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 4.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Vilamoura

$235 14.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 49.9% $117

Eating Out

Vilamoura

$202 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilamoura

$188 11.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Vilamoura

$143 8.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.1% $23

Getting Around

Vilamoura

$60 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 45.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Vilamoura

$52 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 67.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $952 in Vilamoura 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 23% higher in Vilamoura, 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 $56.0 in Vilamoura versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $352 – making Vilamoura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Vilamoura

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

19:11 7:11 PM

7 h behind Vilamoura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,819

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Vilamoura Nosara 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Vilamoura
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

Vilamoura vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,637 in Vilamoura, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,455 per month in Vilamoura 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 Vilamoura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Vilamoura. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $450 per month in Vilamoura and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Vilamoura, where all-in costs run around $1,637, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vilamoura 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 $1,637 in Vilamoura 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 Vilamoura. 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.