Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heyuan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $773 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $773 per month in Heyuan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Heyuan $773
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,288 per month in Heyuan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Heyuan $1,288
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,803 per month in Heyuan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Heyuan $1,803
Nosara $3,818

Heyuan is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Heyuan sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.80

$12.35 ₡5,539

-76.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.81 ¥199

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-51.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.58

$7.52 ₡3,373

-29.26%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ¥20.18

$4.41 ₡1,978

-31.52%

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

$0.58 ¥3.91

$1.74 ₡780

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.42

$1.31 ₡587

-72.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$3.28 ₡1,471

-59.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥17.55

$4.47 ₡2,004

-41.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.91

$1.56 ₡701

14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 ¥12.64

$3.02 ₡1,355

-37.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

-55.78%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.50

$3.57 ₡1,603

-56.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.43 ¥110

$7.43 ₡3,333

121.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 ¥33.53

$10.52 ₡4,717

-52.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 ¥80.4

$13.97 ₡6,265

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$2.35 ₡1,052

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.61 ₡720

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ¥9.55

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.61 ₡724

10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.82

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.13 ₡507

-26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$2.66 ₡1,191

-75.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.37

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 ¥72.8

$19.88 ₡8,916

-45.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$2.90 ₡1,300

-63.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.62

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥2.04

$1.12 ₡504

-73.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.06 ¥114

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-76.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$2.14 ₡958

-14.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.68

$1.57 ₡703

-74.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.35

$8.52 ₡3,823

-16.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥9.27

$1.52 ₡682

-8.55%

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

$19.1K ¥127.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-11.72%

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

$17.5K ¥116.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-49.34%

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

$61.7 ¥412

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-35.96%

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

$15.94 ¥107

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.72 ¥98.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-72.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 ¥312

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.69 ¥91.6

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.19

$7.89 ₡3,539

-14.32%

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

$414 ¥2,765

$494 ₡221.6K

-16.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K ¥164.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

107.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 ¥329

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.72 ¥279

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ¥541

$77.9 ₡34.9K

3.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥465

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥2,002

$788 ₡353.4K

-62.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ¥1,064

$794 ₡356.2K

-79.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ¥4,231

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 ¥2,642

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-72.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,816 ¥25.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-44.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,834 ¥12.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

49.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,366 ¥9,135

$864 ₡387.3K

58.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

8.62

-60.79%

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

Last update for Heyuan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Heyuan

$239 30.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.6% $114

Accommodation & Living

Heyuan

$159 20.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 399% $635

Clothing & Footwear

Heyuan

$109 14.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heyuan

$92 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 101% $93

Eating Out

Heyuan

$91 11.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 132% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Heyuan

$60 7.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45% $27

Getting Around

Heyuan

$22 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 294% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Heyuan 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 58% higher in Heyuan, 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 $30.00 in Heyuan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $352 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

03:34 3:34 AM

14 h behind Heyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,953,019

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

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Between locations

Heyuan Nosara 15,660 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Heyuan
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

Heyuan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $773 in Heyuan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,159 per month in Heyuan 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 Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Heyuan and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $773 in Heyuan 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 Heyuan. 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.