Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuoka: $1,259 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,259

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,259 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Fukuoka $1,259
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,001 per month in Fukuoka vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,001
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Fukuoka vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,743
Nosara $3,818

Fukuoka is about 32% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fukuoka sits 7% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.20 ¥1,138

$12.35 ₡5,539

-41.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.93 ¥6,783

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-29.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 ¥922

$7.52 ₡3,373

-22.34%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ¥596

$4.41 ₡1,978

-14.51%

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

$1.03 ¥163

$1.74 ₡780

-40.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$1.31 ₡587

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ¥599

$3.28 ₡1,471

15.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥344

$4.47 ₡2,004

-51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.56 ₡701

-1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥302

$3.02 ₡1,355

-36.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$2.51 ₡1,125

164.54%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥362

$3.57 ₡1,603

-35.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.31 ¥2,893

$7.43 ₡3,333

146.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$10.52 ₡4,717

-48.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 ¥3,002

$13.97 ₡6,265

36.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 ¥560

$2.35 ₡1,052

50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ¥287

$1.61 ₡720

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$4.80 ₡2,152

-40.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥531

$1.61 ₡724

108.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥340

$3.80 ₡1,703

-43.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$3.69 ₡1,657

-29.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ¥161

$1.13 ₡507

-9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$2.66 ₡1,191

-65.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ¥1,025

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥270

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$3.63 ₡1,626

-50.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.12 ₡504

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.37 ¥6,537

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥618

$2.14 ₡958

82.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 ¥331

$1.57 ₡703

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.67 ¥2,792

$8.52 ₡3,823

107.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.36%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-48.97%

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

$207 ¥32.8K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

115.35%

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

$25.04 ¥3,955

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-30.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,159

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ¥8,506

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-24.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.91 ¥1,724

$7.89 ₡3,539

38.28%

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

$126 ¥19.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

-74.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

4.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.44 ¥7,811

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.89 ¥4,090

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-53.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 ¥10.6K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-13.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.07 ¥7,594

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-39.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥76.8K

$788 ₡353.4K

-38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥47.8K

$794 ₡356.2K

-61.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 ¥194.8K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-68.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 ¥115.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,329 ¥1.0M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-8.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,696 ¥425.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

120.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,657 ¥261.8K

$864 ₡387.3K

91.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

8.62

-77.15%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: 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

Fukuoka

$318 25.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.8% $34

Accommodation & Living

Fukuoka

$303 24%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 163% $492

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukuoka

$265 21.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 29.9% $79

Eating Out

Fukuoka

$151 12%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Fukuoka

$86 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 40.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Fukuoka

$76 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Fukuoka

$62 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 41.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $486 in Fukuoka 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 92% higher in Fukuoka, 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 $43.00 in Fukuoka versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $352 – making Fukuoka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

15 h behind Fukuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,612,392

4,912

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fukuoka Nosara 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Fukuoka
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

Fukuoka vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,259 in Fukuoka, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,889 per month in Fukuoka 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 Fukuoka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Fukuoka and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fukuoka, where all-in costs run around $1,259, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Fukuoka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Fukuoka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,259 in Fukuoka to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Fukuoka. 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.