Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Himeji and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Himeji: $1,283 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
Learn more

Himeji Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,283 per month in Himeji vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Himeji $1,283
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Himeji vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Himeji $2,047
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,811 per month in Himeji vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Himeji $2,811
Nosara $3,814

Himeji is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Himeji sits 5% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 ¥1,336

$12.34 ₡5,535

-31.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.07 ¥4,909

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-49.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥807

$7.76 ₡3,481

-34.15%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ¥371

$4.44 ₡1,992

-47.07%

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

$1.24 ¥196

$1.79 ₡803

-30.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$1.29 ₡580

-36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$3.24 ₡1,451

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

$4.43 ₡1,985

-30.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.55 ₡696

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥233

$3.08 ₡1,380

-51.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$2.53 ₡1,133

62.85%

Eggs

$2.18 ¥344

$3.45 ₡1,546

-36.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.50 ¥2,449

$7.32 ₡3,284

111.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,072

$10.24 ₡4,594

-33.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 ¥2,667

$14.10 ₡6,326

19.72%

Apples (1kg)

$8.37 ¥1,323

$2.29 ₡1,027

265.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 ¥470

$1.64 ₡737

81.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 ¥799

$4.79 ₡2,149

5.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.86 ¥1,241

$1.64 ₡735

379.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.85 ₡1,727

1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$4.70 ¥743

$3.75 ₡1,681

25.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ¥177

$1.09 ₡488

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥141

$2.59 ₡1,160

-65.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$5.12 ₡2,295

-24.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 ¥1,539

$19.92 ₡8,931

-51.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥412

$2.80 ₡1,255

-6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥332

$3.52 ₡1,580

-40.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.22 ₡549

18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 ¥8,373

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-28.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.17 ₡973

44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 ¥446

$1.56 ₡698

80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 ¥2,441

$8.67 ₡3,886

78.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.55 ₡697

-30.97%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-37.75%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-61.03%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

24.05%

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

$23.44 ¥3,704

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-35.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ¥5,003

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-40.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,314

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-28.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 ¥1,795

$7.91 ₡3,548

43.62%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$490 ₡219.9K

15.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

24.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.92 ¥7,886

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-8.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 ¥5,611

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-36.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,739

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-23.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 ¥15.7K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$801 ₡359.1K

-32.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.8K

$790 ₡354.1K

-58.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.8K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-72.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥115.2K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-48.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,304 ¥680.0K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-39.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 ¥272.5K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

39.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

8.62

-76.57%

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

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Himeji

$379 29.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 7.7% $29

Accommodation & Living

Himeji

$328 25.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 141% $461

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Himeji

$173 13.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 6.5% $11

Eating Out

Himeji

$142 11%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 50.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Himeji

$111 8.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.2% $10

Getting Around

Himeji

$76 5.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 16.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Himeji

$75 5.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Himeji versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Himeji versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Himeji vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Himeji

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

17:46 5:46 PM

15 h behind Himeji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

535,571

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Himeji Nosara 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Himeji
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

Himeji vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,925 per month in Himeji and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Himeji, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Himeji and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Himeji, where all-in costs run around $1,283, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Himeji it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Himeji – 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 Himeji. 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.