Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheonan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheonan: $1,467 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,467 per month in Cheonan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cheonan $1,467
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,259 per month in Cheonan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cheonan $2,259
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in Cheonan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cheonan $3,051
Nosara $3,818

Cheonan is about 20% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cheonan and Nosara sit above the global median – Cheonan by 9%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 ₩10.0K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-39.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.63 ₩30.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 ₩5,693

$7.52 ₡3,373

-43.09%

Cappuccino

$1.47 ₩1,951

$4.41 ₡1,978

-66.67%

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

$1.16 ₩1,538

$1.74 ₡780

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,867

$1.31 ₡587

6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ₩3,031

$3.28 ₡1,471

-30.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,853

$4.47 ₡2,004

-1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₩2,125

$1.56 ₡701

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,287

$3.02 ₡1,355

6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,078

$2.51 ₡1,125

22.31%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,476

$3.57 ₡1,603

-26.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ₩14.9K

$7.43 ₡3,333

50.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.8K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.11 ₩33.4K

$13.97 ₡6,265

79.74%

Apples (1kg)

$11.23 ₩14.9K

$2.35 ₡1,052

377.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.73 ₩4,965

$1.61 ₡720

131.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.07 ₩10.7K

$4.80 ₡2,152

68.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 ₩8,035

$1.61 ₡724

275.16%

Potato (1kg)

$6.10 ₩8,106

$3.80 ₡1,703

60.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₩4,438

$3.69 ₡1,657

-9.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,651

$1.13 ₡507

143.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,765

$2.66 ₡1,191

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₩4,494

$5.18 ₡2,321

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₩24.3K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,229

$2.90 ₡1,300

-16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,454

$3.63 ₡1,626

-7.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,509

$1.12 ₡504

1.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 ₩4,050

$2.14 ₡958

42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,036

$1.57 ₡703

-50.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.69 ₩22.2K

$8.52 ₡3,823

95.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,650

$1.52 ₡682

-18.42%

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

$29.7K ₩39.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.65%

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

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.89%

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

$199 ₩264.9K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

106.88%

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

$35.67 ₩47.4K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-0.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.08 ₩36.0K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-49.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-27.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.77 ₩15.6K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-66.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 ₩16.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

53.74%

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

$636 ₩845.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

28.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

81.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 ₩88.0K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

22.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 ₩79.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

7.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 ₩123.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩168.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

59.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-39.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩479.5K

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 ₩1.5M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩982.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,244 ₩9.6M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

4.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,422 ₩7.2M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

342.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,824 ₩2.4M

$864 ₡387.3K

111.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

8.62

-51.04%

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

Last update for Cheonan: 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

Cheonan

$480 32.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 26.6% $128

Accommodation & Living

Cheonan

$361 24.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 120% $434

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheonan

$262 17.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 29.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Cheonan

$155 10.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.7% $35

Eating Out

Cheonan

$121 8.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 74.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Cheonan

$76 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.2% $12

Getting Around

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 659% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Cheonan 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 111% higher in Cheonan, 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 $23.00 in Cheonan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Cheonan vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

15 h behind Cheonan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,486

4,912

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cheonan Nosara 13,790 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheonan
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

Cheonan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 25% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,200 per month in Cheonan 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 Cheonan, 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 $1,467 in Cheonan and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Cheonan and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cheonan, where all-in costs run around $1,467, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cheonan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cheonan costs $1,467 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 Cheonan. 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.