Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,398 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,398

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,398 in Cheongju versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Cheongju $1,398
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,320 in Cheongju versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Cheongju $2,320
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Cheongju versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Cheongju $3,241
Nosara $3,818

Living in Cheongju costs roughly 24% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheongju 4% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ₩10.2K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-38.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.79 ₩65.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-20.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 ₩8,181

$7.52 ₡3,373

-18.48%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,868

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.23%

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

$1.78 ₩2,369

$1.74 ₡780

2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₩1,880

$1.31 ₡587

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ₩5,051

$3.28 ₡1,471

15.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,866

$4.47 ₡2,004

-1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₩3,138

$1.56 ₡701

50.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₩4,143

$3.02 ₡1,355

2.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 ₩4,193

$2.51 ₡1,125

25.10%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,618

$3.57 ₡1,603

-24.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩14.9K

$7.43 ₡3,333

50.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 ₩13.7K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩32.8K

$13.97 ₡6,265

75.73%

Apples (1kg)

$11.41 ₩15.2K

$2.35 ₡1,052

385.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,744

$1.61 ₡720

121.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.1K

$4.80 ₡2,152

72.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 ₩7,886

$1.61 ₡724

267.08%

Potato (1kg)

$6.14 ₩8,190

$3.80 ₡1,703

61.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,351

$3.69 ₡1,657

-11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,650

$1.13 ₡507

142.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,723

$2.66 ₡1,191

-51.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,428

$5.18 ₡2,321

-35.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.55 ₩24.7K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-6.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ₩3,298

$2.90 ₡1,300

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,473

$3.63 ₡1,626

-7.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,455

$1.12 ₡504

-2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₩4,757

$2.14 ₡958

66.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 ₩1,021

$1.57 ₡703

-50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 ₩22.2K

$8.52 ₡3,823

95.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,817

$1.52 ₡682

-10.53%

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

$29.5K ₩39.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

36.59%

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

$33.4K ₩44.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.33%

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

$203 ₩270.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

110.61%

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

$24.35 ₩32.5K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.57 ₩35.4K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-50.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ₩70.1K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ₩16.1K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-65.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 ₩16.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

53.36%

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

$624 ₩832.9K

$494 ₡221.6K

26.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.4M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

85.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.95 ₩50.6K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-29.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.6K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₩126.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩150.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₩462.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-56.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₩356.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-66.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₩1.5M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,214 ₩9.6M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

4.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,577 ₩7.4M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

355.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 ₩3.5M

$864 ₡387.3K

200.50%

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 Cheongju: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheongju

$485 34.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.4% $133

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$267 19.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 198% $527

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$254 18.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 26.8% $68

Eating Out

Cheongju

$164 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$140 10%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.9% $11

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 641% $75

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 $347 in Cheongju and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays 201% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Cheongju vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $485 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

15 h behind Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

4,912

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Cheongju Nosara 13,780 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
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

Cheongju vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 201% higher in Cheongju, 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: $347 in Cheongju versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $624 in Cheongju 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 Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,398 in Cheongju versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cheongju but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cheongju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cheongju delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,398 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cheongju hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cheongju 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 Cheongju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.