Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukushima and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,165 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,165 in Fukushima versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Fukushima $1,165
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,826 in Fukushima versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Fukushima $1,826
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Fukushima versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Fukushima $2,487
Nosara $3,814

Living in Fukushima costs roughly 37% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fukushima is 14% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.89 ¥930

$12.34 ₡5,535

-52.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥4,727

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-51.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥703

$7.76 ₡3,481

-42.65%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ¥404

$4.44 ₡1,992

-42.57%

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

$0.94 ¥148

$1.79 ₡803

-47.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥106

$1.29 ₡580

-48.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥412

$3.24 ₡1,451

-19.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$4.43 ₡1,985

-29.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.55 ₡696

-5.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$3.08 ₡1,380

-49.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$2.53 ₡1,133

61.26%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$3.45 ₡1,546

-39.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 ¥1,639

$7.32 ₡3,284

41.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 ¥1,057

$10.24 ₡4,594

-34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.64 ¥2,629

$14.10 ₡6,326

18.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 ¥596

$2.29 ₡1,027

64.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥357

$1.64 ₡737

37.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥443

$4.79 ₡2,149

-41.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥642

$1.64 ₡735

148.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ¥391

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ¥406

$3.75 ₡1,681

-31.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥205

$1.09 ₡488

18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥132

$2.59 ₡1,160

-67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$5.12 ₡2,295

-24.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 ¥1,077

$19.92 ₡8,931

-65.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥291

$2.80 ₡1,255

-34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$3.52 ₡1,580

-39.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.22 ₡549

22.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.19 ¥7,613

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-34.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$2.17 ₡973

46.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.56 ₡698

72.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 ¥3,342

$8.67 ₡3,886

143.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥161

$1.55 ₡697

-34.19%

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

$20.2K ¥3.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.67%

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

$15.6K ¥2.5M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-59.77%

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

$126 ¥19.9K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

33.08%

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

$21.15 ¥3,342

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-41.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 ¥4,746

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-43.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,154

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-30.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.70 ¥1,849

$7.91 ₡3,548

47.91%

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

$453 ¥71.6K

$490 ₡219.9K

-7.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ¥1.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-4.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.93 ¥7,414

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-14.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.00 ¥5,688

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-35.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 ¥10.2K

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-19.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥13.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

8.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ¥84.5K

$801 ₡359.1K

-33.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.5K

$790 ₡354.1K

-57.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ¥160.9K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-74.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 ¥111.4K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-49.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,897 ¥615.6K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-44.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,857 ¥293.4K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

50.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

8.62

-74.36%

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

Last update for Fukushima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukushima

$333 28.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 137% $457

Groceries & Markets

Fukushima

$288 24.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 21.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukushima

$177 15.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 3.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Fukushima

$117 10%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 82% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Fukushima

$104 9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 15.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Fukushima

$75 6.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 19.4% $15

Getting Around

Fukushima

$71 6.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 25.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Fukushima and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Fukushima vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $350 per month, with Fukushima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

11:46 11:46 AM

15 h behind Fukushima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,693

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Fukushima Nosara 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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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

Fukushima vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,748 in Fukushima 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: $535 in Fukushima versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,165 in Fukushima versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fukushima but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Fukushima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Fukushima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fukushima 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 Fukushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.