Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chang-hua and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Chang-hua $864
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,343 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,343
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,822 per month in Chang-hua vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,822
Nosara $3,818

Chang-hua is about 53% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 NT$124

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.76 NT$1,062

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-46.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 NT$179

$7.52 ₡3,373

-26.46%

Cappuccino

$1.63 NT$52.7

$4.41 ₡1,978

-63.04%

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

$0.96 NT$30.99

$1.74 ₡780

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.01

$1.31 ₡587

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 NT$44.21

$3.28 ₡1,471

-58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$4.47 ₡2,004

-51.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 NT$77.1

$1.56 ₡701

52.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 NT$67.2

$3.02 ₡1,355

-31.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.5

$2.51 ₡1,125

17.13%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.5

$3.57 ₡1,603

-22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 NT$525

$7.43 ₡3,333

117.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 NT$308

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 NT$688

$13.97 ₡6,265

51.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 NT$156

$2.35 ₡1,052

105.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 NT$110

$1.61 ₡720

109.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$4.80 ₡2,152

-38.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$1.61 ₡724

96.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 NT$89.8

$3.80 ₡1,703

-27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 NT$68.4

$3.69 ₡1,657

-42.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 NT$54.9

$1.13 ₡507

49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 NT$24.97

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 NT$128

$5.18 ₡2,321

-23.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 NT$306

$19.88 ₡8,916

-52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 NT$44.70

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.4

$3.63 ₡1,626

-36.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 NT$50.4

$1.12 ₡504

38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 NT$1,129

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-52.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 NT$85.9

$2.14 ₡958

23.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.71

$1.57 ₡703

-51.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 NT$301

$8.52 ₡3,823

9.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.39

$1.52 ₡682

-30.26%

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

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

53.36%

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

$24.3K NT$787.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.65%

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

$31.62 NT$1,025

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-67.16%

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

$16.99 NT$551

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-52.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 NT$607

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-65.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 NT$1,029

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.38 NT$304

$7.89 ₡3,539

18.88%

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

$636 NT$20.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

28.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,946 NT$257.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-33.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.35 NT$1,600

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.47 NT$502

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-72.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 NT$2,534

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.57 NT$1,607

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-37.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 NT$8,160

$788 ₡353.4K

-68.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 NT$5,528

$794 ₡356.2K

-78.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 NT$16.5K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 NT$5,480

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-88.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,959 NT$96.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-57.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 NT$52.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

33.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,011 NT$65.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

132.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.2

8.62

-74.48%

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

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chang-hua

$358 41.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.6% $5.7

Accommodation & Living

Chang-hua

$170 19.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 366% $624

Clothing & Footwear

Chang-hua

$87 10%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 38.6% $33

Eating Out

Chang-hua

$84 9.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 152% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chang-hua

$67 7.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 176% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Chang-hua

$51 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 73% $37

Getting Around

Chang-hua

$47 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 83.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Chang-hua 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 133% higher in Chang-hua, 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 $33.00 in Chang-hua versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Chang-hua vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

19:31 7:31 PM

14 h behind Chang-hua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,564

4,912

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chang-hua Nosara 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chang-hua
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

Chang-hua vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 113% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Chang-hua 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 Chang-hua, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $864 in Chang-hua and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 113%.

Public transport costs about 109% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chang-hua costs $864 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chang-hua. 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.