Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 42.6% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 57.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 51.5% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 52.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.39
$12.22 ₡5,509
-76.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-63.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.74
$7.54 ₡3,399
-31.03%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.31
$4.31 ₡1,941
-29.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.45
$1.72 ₡773
-69.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$1.35 ₡608
-79.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$3.24 ₡1,459
-68.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$4.48 ₡2,018
-51.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.71
$1.57 ₡707
11.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.96
$3.17 ₡1,429
-48.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$2.42 ₡1,091
-61.98%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.66
$3.57 ₡1,609
-55.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.8
$7.43 ₡3,349
74.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.38
$10.42 ₡4,697
-67.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.7
$13.66 ₡6,156
-18.16%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.02
$2.32 ₡1,044
-22.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$1.61 ₡728
-18.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.80
$4.74 ₡2,138
-68.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.79
$1.66 ₡747
-20.48%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.07
$3.72 ₡1,679
-79.57%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.15
$3.57 ₡1,611
-74.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$1.10 ₡497
-46.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.63
$2.55 ₡1,149
-78.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.34
$4.95 ₡2,232
-23.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.1
$20.01 ₡9,020
-39.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.48
$2.79 ₡1,256
-70.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.92
$3.53 ₡1,589
-53.82%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$1.19 ₡537
-75.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-69.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.24
$2.24 ₡1,011
-31.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.31
$1.55 ₡701
-77.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.79
$8.86 ₡3,993
-20.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.77
$1.57 ₡708
-16.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.1K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
-12.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.7K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-50.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$93.5 ₡42.1K
-42.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.3
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-76.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.6
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-79.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥272
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-42.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.4
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-58.86%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.15
$7.84 ₡3,535
-13.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,089
$490 ₡220.7K
-5.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
64.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$53.5 ₡24.1K
-14.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-35.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$79.3 ₡35.7K
-4.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$78.9 ₡35.6K
0.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,577
$786 ₡354.3K
-50.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,601
$780 ₡351.6K
-69.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,637
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-78.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,083
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-67.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-34.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.2K
$1,201 ₡541.3K
89.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,082
$876 ₡395.0K
20.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
8.62
-59.86%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Nosara
$780 226% $540
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Nosara
$350 68.7% $142
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Nosara
$120 13.3% $14
Eating Out
China
$88
Nosara
$209 138% $122
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Nosara
$180 146% $107
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Nosara
$87 60.6% $33
Getting Around
China
$27
Nosara
$87 225% $60
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
16:22 4:22 PM
02:22 2:22 AM
14 h behind China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • China Nosara 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

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