Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Nara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $1,814 in Alicante, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
Learn more

Nara Living Index

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Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,814

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alicante and in Nara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alicante and in Nara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,814 in Alicante versus $1,215 in Nara.

Alicante $1,814
Nara $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Alicante versus $1,828 in Nara.

Alicante $2,801
Nara $1,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Alicante versus $2,442 in Nara.

Alicante $3,788
Nara $2,442

Living in Alicante is roughly 49% more expensive than in Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alicante is 34% above, Nara is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.14 €17.03

$6.40 ¥1,011

199.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$31.96 ¥5,049

106.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$5.10 ¥805

120.39%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.97

$2.48 ¥392

-10.89%

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

$2.06 €1.83

$1.30 ¥206

58.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.75 ¥119

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.10 ¥489

7.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.06 ¥483

7.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.50 ¥238

-26.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.34 ¥211

22.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$4.05 ¥640

-60.25%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$2.13 ¥336

53.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 €15.45

$9.60 ¥1,517

80.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 €8.71

$7.01 ¥1,108

39.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.11

$17.82 ¥2,815

-11.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$3.41 ¥539

-24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.99 ¥315

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.01 ¥317

-10.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.01 ¥633

-34.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.57 ¥248

21.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.16 ¥184

73.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.12 ¥177

9.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.58

$0.81 ¥128

-18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$3.82 ¥604

69.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$9.49 ¥1,500

-42.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.93 ¥305

-38.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.13 ¥337

-3.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.55 ¥245

6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.30 €23.39

$72.0 ¥11.4K

-63.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.23 ¥510

-4.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.83 ¥447

-54.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 €15.09

$15.70 ¥2,480

8.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.11 ¥175

58.56%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

62.86%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

95.60%

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

$141 €125

$115 ¥18.2K

21.81%

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

$18.27 €16.25

$24.28 ¥3,836

-24.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 €26.41

$30.63 ¥4,840

-3.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.64 €36.15

$82.2 ¥13.0K

-50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 €14.76

$7.44 ¥1,176

122.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.06

$11.85 ¥1,872

-23.46%

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

$708 €629

$511 ¥80.8K

38.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,120 €8,113

$12.8K ¥2.0M

-28.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.5

$48.43 ¥7,652

77.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 €31.25

$30.90 ¥4,882

13.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.3

$59.5 ¥9,398

57.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.0

$88.7 ¥14.0K

16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €892

$404 ¥63.8K

148.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$333 ¥52.7K

153.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 €1,499

$810 ¥128.0K

108.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 €1,351

$544 ¥86.0K

179.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,155 €3,696

$2,669 ¥421.6K

55.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 €1,786

$1,959 ¥309.5K

2.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,110 ¥175.3K

71.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

2.02

48.02%

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

Last update for Alicante: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alicante

$846 46.6%

Nara

$333 27.4% 60.6% $513

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$285 15.7%

Nara

$282 23.2% 1.1% $3.1

Eating Out

Alicante

$250 13.8%

Nara

$126 10.4% 49.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$189 10.4%

Nara

$170 14% 9.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$143 7.9%

Nara

$102 8.4% 28.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$59 3.2%

Nara

$106 8.7% 80.2% $47

Getting Around

Alicante

$43 2.3%

Nara

$96 7.9% 125% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Alicante and $404 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: $66.0 in Alicante vs $32.00 in Nara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $282 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

7 h ahead of Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

355,280

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alicante Nara 10,730 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Alicante
Nara

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

Alicante vs Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara wins on cost – living expenses run 49% 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: $1,003 in Alicante versus $404 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $708 in Alicante versus $511 in Nara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Alicante. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,215 in Nara versus $1,814 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 $1,215 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 49% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.