Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Datong and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $715 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Datong
Learn more

Datong Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $715 in Datong versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Datong $715
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,133 in Datong versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Datong $1,133
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,551 in Datong versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Datong $1,551
Nosara $3,814

Living in Datong costs roughly 61% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Datong is 47% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 ¥18.50

$12.34 ₡5,535

-77.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.44 ¥143

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-65.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥32.98

$7.76 ₡3,481

-36.47%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ¥20.42

$4.44 ₡1,992

-31.31%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.79 ₡803

-73.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.29 ₡580

-79.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$3.24 ₡1,451

-70.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.76

$4.43 ₡1,985

-53.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$1.55 ₡696

17.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$3.08 ₡1,380

-47.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.53 ₡1,133

-64.82%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.36

$3.45 ₡1,546

-55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 ¥84.2

$7.32 ₡3,284

71.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ¥21.62

$10.24 ₡4,594

-68.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 ¥67.7

$14.10 ₡6,326

-28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$2.29 ₡1,027

-18.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.64 ₡737

-23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.83

$4.79 ₡2,149

-69.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$1.64 ₡735

-29.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.89

$3.85 ₡1,727

-81.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$3.75 ₡1,681

-75.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.77

$1.09 ₡488

-48.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.44

$2.59 ₡1,160

-80.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ¥21.22

$5.12 ₡2,295

-38.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 ¥71.6

$19.92 ₡8,931

-46.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.29

$2.80 ₡1,255

-71.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$3.52 ₡1,580

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.22 ₡549

-77.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 ¥112

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-77.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$2.17 ₡973

-34.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$1.56 ₡698

-78.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 ¥45.96

$8.67 ₡3,886

-20.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.55 ₡697

-24.52%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-43.89%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-55.11%

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

$44.62 ¥298

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-52.94%

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

$9.53 ¥63.7

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-73.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.92 ¥79.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-77.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 ¥283

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.88 ¥92.8

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-61.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 ¥39.05

$7.91 ₡3,548

-26.17%

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

$329 ¥2,198

$490 ₡219.9K

-32.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥110.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

39.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.27 ¥296

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-19.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 ¥204

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-45.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ¥478

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-11.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 ¥473

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,890

$801 ₡359.1K

-64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,289

$790 ₡354.1K

-75.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ¥3,999

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-85.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,424

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-74.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,069 ¥20.5K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-56.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,036 ¥13.6K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

64.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.62

-54.87%

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

Last update for Datong: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Datong

$198 27.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 76.7% $152

Accommodation & Living

Datong

$193 27%

Nosara

$790 43% 310% $597

Clothing & Footwear

Datong

$98 13.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 24% $23

Eating Out

Datong

$85 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 149% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Datong

$66 9.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 179% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Datong

$54 7.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 65.9% $36

Getting Around

Datong

$21 2.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 324% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $283 in Datong and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Datong vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $350 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Datong

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

17:25 5:25 PM

14 h behind Datong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,318,057

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Datong Nosara 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Datong
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

Datong vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 157% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,072 in Datong and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $283 in Datong versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Datong versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $715 in Datong versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Datong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Datong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $715 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Datong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Datong 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 Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.