Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Nara Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Nara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,681 in Alicante versus $1,284 in Nara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,437 in Alicante versus $1,928 in Nara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,193 in Alicante versus $2,572 in Nara.

Living in Alicante is roughly 31% more expensive than Nara, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alicante is 25% above, Nara is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.45 €15.02

$6.77 ¥1,082

157.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 €49.95

$34.37 ¥5,498

68.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 €8.83

$5.66 ¥905

81.27%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.87

$3.03 ¥484

-28.38%

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

$2.37 €2.04

$1.09 ¥174

117.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$0.72 ¥115

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 €2.51

$3.40 ¥544

-14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 €3.07

$3.21 ¥514

10.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.10

$1.53 ¥244

-16.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.50

$1.50 ¥240

16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.34

$4.63 ¥740

-66.31%

Eggs

$2.96 €2.55

$2.46 ¥393

20.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.59 €9.98

$10.63 ¥1,700

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 €8.11

$6.34 ¥1,014

48.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €12.77

$20.80 ¥3,326

-28.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.07

$3.66 ¥586

-34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$2.18 ¥349

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 €1.25

$2.52 ¥404

-42.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 €1.96

$4.32 ¥691

-47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.45

$1.73 ¥276

-2.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.43

$1.29 ¥206

28.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.93

$1.37 ¥219

-21.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.61

$0.90 ¥144

-21.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 €5.27

$3.38 ¥541

80.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 €4.38

$9.36 ¥1,496

-45.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €0.98

$2.06 ¥330

-45.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.57

$2.36 ¥378

-22.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.48

$2.24 ¥358

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.29 €21.77

$56.2 ¥8,987

-54.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 €1.41

$3.41 ¥546

-51.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.09

$2.95 ¥472

-57.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.64 €15.19

$17.42 ¥2,786

1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.19 ¥190

52.10%

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

$38.1K €32.8K

$23.1K ¥3.7M

64.43%

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

$30.1K €26.0K

$17.1K ¥2.7M

76.78%

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

$130 €112

$135 ¥21.6K

-3.78%

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

$20.42 €17.59

$27.21 ¥4,352

-24.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.82 €27.40

$30.70 ¥4,910

3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €46.62

$81.2 ¥13.0K

-33.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 €14.72

$8.21 ¥1,313

108.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.29 €8.00

$12.41 ¥1,985

-25.14%

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

$724 €623

$69.9 ¥11.2K

935.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,148

$10.3K ¥1.6M

3.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €61.2

$44.02 ¥7,040

61.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.64 €26.38

$29.28 ¥4,683

4.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 €82.0

$55.6 ¥8,900

71.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €94.5

$90.8 ¥14.5K

20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 €833

$435 ¥69.5K

122.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 €674

$370 ¥59.1K

111.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 €1,270

$624 ¥99.9K

136.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 €901

$554 ¥88.6K

88.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,322 €3,721

$2,724 ¥435.7K

58.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 €1,938

$1,984 ¥317.3K

13.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,990 €1,714

$1,131 ¥180.9K

75.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

1.78

101.12%

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

Last update for Alicante: May 31, 2026

Last update for Nara: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $967 in Alicante and $435 in Nara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 76% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Alicante vs $34.00 in Nara. Groceries flip the comparison at $256 vs $305, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

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

Alicante vs Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Alicante. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Alicante pays 76% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $967 in Alicante versus $435 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $724 in Alicante versus $69.9 in Nara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Alicante pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,284 in Nara versus $1,681 in Alicante, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Alicante. The gap between the two cities makes Nara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,284 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante and Nara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.