Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
Learn more

Changchun Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Changchun versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Changchun $912
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,335 in Changchun versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Changchun $1,335
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,757 in Changchun versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Changchun $1,757
Nosara $3,818

Living in Changchun costs roughly 50% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changchun is 32% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ¥19.71

$12.35 ₡5,550

-76.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-63.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.69

$7.52 ₡3,379

-30.98%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ¥16.66

$4.41 ₡1,982

-43.54%

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

$0.48 ¥3.20

$1.74 ₡781

-72.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.31 ₡588

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$3.28 ₡1,474

-64.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$4.47 ₡2,008

-59.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.56 ₡702

21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$3.02 ₡1,358

-59.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$2.51 ₡1,127

-42.23%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.33

$3.57 ₡1,606

-48.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.91 ¥233

$7.43 ₡3,340

369.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 ¥39.33

$10.52 ₡4,727

-44.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$13.97 ₡6,277

-24.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$2.35 ₡1,054

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$1.61 ₡721

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$4.80 ₡2,156

-62.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$1.61 ₡725

18.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$3.80 ₡1,706

-76.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$1.13 ₡508

-46.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$2.66 ₡1,193

-44.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.44

$5.18 ₡2,326

-29.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.59 ¥138

$19.88 ₡8,934

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.90 ₡1,303

-67.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$3.63 ₡1,629

-68.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.12 ₡505

-60.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$2.14 ₡960

-42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.11

$1.57 ₡705

-80.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$8.52 ₡3,830

-65.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.52 ₡683

-18.42%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-9.39%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.98%

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

$75.1 ¥502

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-21.99%

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

$4.52 ¥30.24

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-87.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.5

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-72.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 ¥257

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-46.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.21 ¥28.18

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-87.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 ¥45.91

$7.89 ₡3,546

-13.05%

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

$546 ¥3,650

$494 ₡222.0K

10.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥143.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

80.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 ¥496

$53.9 ₡24.2K

37.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 ¥303

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-18.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥407

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-21.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 ¥475

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-10.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$788 ₡354.1K

-72.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,679

$794 ₡356.9K

-68.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 ¥3,847

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,073

$1,419 ₡637.7K

-78.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,661 ¥11.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-75.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 ¥6,789

$1,224 ₡550.0K

-17.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 ¥6,451

$864 ₡388.0K

11.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

8.62

-49.30%

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

Last update for Changchun: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$315 * 34.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.8% $37

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$251 27.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 216% $543

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$113 12.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.2% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$95 10.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 96.6% $91

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 160% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$52 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 67.5% $35

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1815% $83

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Changchun and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changchun pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changchun vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $352 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

14 h behind Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Changchun Nosara 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
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

Changchun vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Changchun, 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: $218 in Changchun versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $546 in Changchun versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Changchun versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changchun is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Changchun and Nosara 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.