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: $1,857 in Alicante versus $1,209 in Nara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,904 in Alicante versus $1,821 in Nara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,951 in Alicante versus $2,433 in Nara.

Living in Alicante is roughly 54% more expensive than in Nara, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alicante is 35% above, Nara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 €14.93

$6.20 ¥985

179.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 €60.1

$31.16 ¥4,951

123.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 €9.95

$4.79 ¥762

140.71%

Cappuccino

$2.28 €1.96

$2.43 ¥387

-6.17%

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

$2.21 €1.91

$1.29 ¥204

71.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.26

$0.68 ¥107

114.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 €3.09

$3.20 ¥509

11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.06

$3.16 ¥502

12.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €0.99

$1.54 ¥245

-25.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.33 ¥211

27.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.52

$4.09 ¥649

-56.97%

Eggs

$3.28 €2.83

$2.08 ¥331

57.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.15 €15.66

$9.46 ¥1,503

91.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €8.77

$6.70 ¥1,064

51.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 €14.54

$18.15 ¥2,884

-7.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$3.25 ¥516

-14.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.81

$1.89 ¥300

10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$2.07 ¥329

-8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.37

$4.07 ¥646

-32.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.66

$1.48 ¥235

29.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.11 ¥177

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.10

$1.11 ¥177

14.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.64

$0.82 ¥131

-9.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €5.96

$3.77 ¥600

83.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 €5.15

$9.43 ¥1,498

-36.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.85 ¥294

-32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.88

$2.13 ¥339

1.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.49

$1.52 ¥242

13.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.81 €24.00

$71.9 ¥11.4K

-61.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.83

$3.22 ¥511

1.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.17

$2.80 ¥446

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.16 €14.81

$15.47 ¥2,459

10.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.47

$1.07 ¥170

59.81%

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

$36.3K €31.3K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

67.31%

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

$30.6K €26.4K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

104.06%

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

$143 €124

$114 ¥18.1K

26.26%

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

$19.22 €16.59

$23.92 ¥3,800

-19.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.27 €26.98

$30.01 ¥4,769

4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.46 €36.64

$80.3 ¥12.8K

-47.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 €14.89

$7.50 ¥1,191

130.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 €8.48

$11.82 ¥1,879

-16.84%

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

$731 €631

$516 ¥82.0K

41.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,576 €8,263

$12.9K ¥2.0M

-25.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €74.5

$44.94 ¥7,141

92.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.19 €31.23

$29.65 ¥4,712

22.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 €85.6

$60.7 ¥9,648

63.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €94.3

$88.9 ¥14.1K

22.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €898

$403 ¥64.1K

157.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €732

$333 ¥52.9K

154.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 €1,499

$813 ¥129.2K

113.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,393

$537 ¥85.3K

200.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,390 €3,788

$2,625 ¥417.1K

67.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 €1,809

$2,010 ¥319.4K

4.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,940 €1,674

$1,135 ¥180.4K

70.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

2.01

48.76%

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

Last update for Alicante: August 29, 2026

Last update for Nara: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,040 in Alicante and $403 in Nara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 71% 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: $70.0 in Alicante vs $31.00 in Nara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $279 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

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 54% 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.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Alicante, 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: $1,040 in Alicante versus $403 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Alicante versus $516 in Nara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Alicante. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,209 in Nara versus $1,857 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 $1,209 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 54% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.