Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douliu and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,138 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Douliu vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Douliu $1,138
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Douliu vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Douliu $1,894
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,650 per month in Douliu vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Douliu $2,650
Nosara $3,818

Douliu is about 38% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Douliu sits 16% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 NT$125

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 NT$726

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 NT$189

$7.52 ₡3,373

-22.74%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NT$110

$4.41 ₡1,978

-22.90%

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

$0.94 NT$30.58

$1.74 ₡780

-45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.86

$1.31 ₡587

-48.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.28 ₡1,471

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 NT$121

$4.47 ₡2,004

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$1.56 ₡701

98.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 NT$65.1

$3.02 ₡1,355

-33.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$2.51 ₡1,125

26.29%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.4

$3.57 ₡1,603

-22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$631

$7.43 ₡3,333

161.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 NT$323

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 NT$695

$13.97 ₡6,265

53.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$155

$2.35 ₡1,052

103.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 NT$107

$1.61 ₡720

104.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 NT$141

$1.61 ₡724

169.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 NT$91.3

$3.80 ₡1,703

-25.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$3.69 ₡1,657

-36.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.6

$1.13 ₡507

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.65

$2.66 ₡1,191

-58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$125

$5.18 ₡2,321

-25.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NT$469

$19.88 ₡8,916

-27.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.9

$2.90 ₡1,300

-43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NT$75.0

$3.63 ₡1,626

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.89

$1.12 ₡504

-45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.53 NT$1,152

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-51.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$2.14 ₡958

24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.82

$1.57 ₡703

-50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 NT$307

$8.52 ₡3,823

11.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.56

$1.52 ₡682

-32.24%

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

$34.0K NT$1.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

57.31%

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

$24.0K NT$777.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.53%

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

$86.6 NT$2,807

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-10.12%

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

$17.15 NT$556

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-52.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.79 NT$901

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 NT$1,179

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 NT$309

$7.89 ₡3,539

20.91%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$494 ₡221.6K

34.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K NT$550.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

43.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 NT$2,091

$53.9 ₡24.2K

19.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.75 NT$1,321

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 NT$2,756

$77.9 ₡34.9K

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,408

$79.6 ₡35.7K

32.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-48.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,334

$794 ₡356.2K

-67.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 NT$31.8K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-75.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 NT$23.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 NT$254.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

13.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,924 NT$159.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

302.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,544 NT$82.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

194.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

8.62

-72.16%

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

Last update for Douliu: 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

Douliu

$400 35.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.9% $47

Accommodation & Living

Douliu

$257 22.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 209% $537

Clothing & Footwear

Douliu

$133 11.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douliu

$132 11.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.3% $54

Eating Out

Douliu

$117 10.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 81.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Douliu

$55 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 57.6% $32

Getting Around

Douliu

$44 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 95.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Douliu 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 195% higher in Douliu, 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 $22.00 in Douliu versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Douliu vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Douliu

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

14 h behind Douliu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,401

4,912

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Douliu Nosara 15,310 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Douliu
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

Douliu vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 62% more than Douliu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,707 per month in Douliu 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 Douliu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Douliu and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,138 in Douliu and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 62%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Douliu costs $1,138 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 Douliu. 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.