Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asahikawa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,159 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,159
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Asahikawa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,832
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Asahikawa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Asahikawa $2,506
Nosara $3,818

Asahikawa is about 37% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Asahikawa sits 14% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 ¥853

$12.35 ₡5,539

-56.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.56 ¥5,618

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-41.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 ¥873

$7.52 ₡3,373

-26.46%

Cappuccino

$2.94 ¥465

$4.41 ₡1,978

-33.33%

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

$1.16 ¥184

$1.74 ₡780

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$1.31 ₡587

-41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 ¥451

$3.28 ₡1,471

-12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥544

$4.47 ₡2,004

-23.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.56 ₡701

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$2.51 ₡1,125

50.20%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥326

$3.57 ₡1,603

-42.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 ¥1,749

$7.43 ₡3,333

48.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 ¥944

$10.52 ₡4,717

-43.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$13.97 ₡6,265

33.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$2.35 ₡1,052

46.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥372

$1.61 ₡720

45.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$4.80 ₡2,152

-41.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$1.61 ₡724

193.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$3.80 ₡1,703

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$3.69 ₡1,657

-29.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.13 ₡507

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$2.66 ₡1,191

-67.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ¥705

$5.18 ₡2,321

-13.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 ¥1,130

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥277

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥358

$3.63 ₡1,626

-37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.12 ₡504

15.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 ¥9,570

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-16.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ¥531

$2.14 ₡958

57.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.57 ₡703

74.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.41 ¥2,751

$8.52 ₡3,823

104.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.52 ₡682

-30.26%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

1.54%

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

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-60.91%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

21.58%

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

$25.69 ¥4,059

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-28.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.71 ¥4,378

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 ¥7,864

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-30.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 ¥2,138

$7.89 ₡3,539

71.48%

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

$500 ¥79.0K

$494 ₡221.6K

1.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ¥1.9M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

2.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 ¥7,607

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-10.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.48 ¥5,290

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥10.4K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-15.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 ¥13.5K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥71.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-42.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 ¥48.3K

$794 ₡356.2K

-61.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 ¥174.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-71.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥101.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-54.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,448 ¥702.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,801 ¥284.5K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

47.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

8.62

-74.36%

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

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asahikawa

$306 26.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 160% $489

Groceries & Markets

Asahikawa

$295 25.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 19.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asahikawa

$170 14.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 9% $15

Eating Out

Asahikawa

$124 10.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 70.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Asahikawa

$105 9.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.4% $15

Getting Around

Asahikawa

$83 7.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 5.2% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Asahikawa

$77 6.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Asahikawa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Asahikawa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $352 – making Asahikawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

21:25 9:25 PM

15 h behind Asahikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,306

4,912

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Asahikawa Nosara 12,330 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Asahikawa
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

Asahikawa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,159 in Asahikawa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Asahikawa 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 Asahikawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $500 per month in Asahikawa and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Asahikawa 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 $1,159 in Asahikawa 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 Asahikawa. 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.