Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeongju and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,228 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
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Gyeongju Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,228

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Gyeongju vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,228
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Gyeongju vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,988
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,748 per month in Gyeongju vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Gyeongju $2,748
Nosara $3,818

Gyeongju is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Gyeongju sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.1K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-38.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.01 ₩63.8K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-21.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,653

$7.52 ₡3,373

-13.43%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$4.41 ₡1,978

-31.52%

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

$1.10 ₩1,457

$1.74 ₡780

-36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₩469

$1.31 ₡587

-73.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₩3,442

$3.28 ₡1,471

-21.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,764

$4.47 ₡2,004

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,073

$1.56 ₡701

48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₩3,280

$3.02 ₡1,355

-18.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.51 ₡1,125

24.70%

Eggs

$2.60 ₩3,451

$3.57 ₡1,603

-27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.7K

$7.43 ₡3,333

48.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₩13.7K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-1.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.97 ₡6,265

32.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 ₩5,985

$2.35 ₡1,052

91.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,411

$1.61 ₡720

59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,075

$4.80 ₡2,152

-20.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 ₩4,879

$1.61 ₡724

127.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ₩3,398

$3.80 ₡1,703

-32.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 ₩2,897

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 ₩2,917

$1.13 ₡507

93.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,766

$2.66 ₡1,191

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,571

$5.18 ₡2,321

-33.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 ₩19.6K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,515

$2.90 ₡1,300

-60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,949

$3.63 ₡1,626

-38.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,409

$1.12 ₡504

-5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₩3,895

$2.14 ₡958

36.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₩1,046

$1.57 ₡703

-49.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 ₩22.0K

$8.52 ₡3,823

94.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₩1,354

$1.52 ₡682

-32.89%

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

$29.6K ₩39.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

36.77%

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

$34.0K ₩45.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-1.44%

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

$80.6 ₩107.1K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-16.35%

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

$36.83 ₩49.0K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

2.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 ₩36.2K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-49.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₩69.3K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-27.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ₩15.9K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-65.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 ₩14.7K

$7.89 ₡3,539

39.92%

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

$639 ₩849.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

29.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K ₩29.5M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

87.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₩60.3K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-15.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 ₩29.8K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-59.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ₩121.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩170.8K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

61.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩635.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-39.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩486.7K

$794 ₡356.2K

-53.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 ₩1.5M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ₩972.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,249 ₩9.6M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

4.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,416 ₩7.2M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

342.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 ₩2.4M

$864 ₡387.3K

113.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

8.62

-51.04%

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

Last update for Gyeongju: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gyeongju

$366 29.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 117% $428

Groceries & Markets

Gyeongju

$359 29.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.8% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeongju

$145 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.5% $41

Eating Out

Gyeongju

$144 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 47% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeongju

$130 10.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeongju

$74 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.7% $13

Getting Around

Gyeongju

$11 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 685% $76

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Gyeongju 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 113% higher in Gyeongju, 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 $48.00 in Gyeongju versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $359 in Gyeongju vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

19:08 7:08 PM

15 h behind Gyeongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,156

4,912

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gyeongju Nosara 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Gyeongju
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

Gyeongju vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Gyeongju 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 Gyeongju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,228 in Gyeongju and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $639 per month in Gyeongju and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gyeongju, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Gyeongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gyeongju – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Gyeongju. 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.