Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hiratsuka and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiratsuka: $1,267 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Hiratsuka
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Hiratsuka Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Hiratsuka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,267

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,267 per month in Hiratsuka vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Hiratsuka $1,267
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,003 per month in Hiratsuka vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Hiratsuka $2,003
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,738 per month in Hiratsuka vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Hiratsuka $2,738
Nosara $3,818

Hiratsuka is about 31% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hiratsuka sits 6% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥979

$12.35 ₡5,539

-49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.45 ¥4,494

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-53.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥773

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.97%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ¥393

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.54%

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

$1.12 ¥176

$1.74 ₡780

-35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥96.2

$1.31 ₡587

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ¥392

$3.28 ₡1,471

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ¥433

$4.47 ₡2,004

-38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ¥224

$1.56 ₡701

-8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥236

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 ¥648

$2.51 ₡1,125

63.35%

Eggs

$2.22 ¥351

$3.57 ₡1,603

-37.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 ¥2,498

$7.43 ₡3,333

112.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 ¥1,080

$10.52 ₡4,717

-35.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 ¥2,721

$13.97 ₡6,265

23.26%

Apples (1kg)

$8.47 ¥1,338

$2.35 ₡1,052

260.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 ¥480

$1.61 ₡720

88.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 ¥808

$4.80 ₡2,152

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.57 ¥1,195

$1.61 ₡724

370.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ¥612

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.84%

Onion (1kg)

$4.67 ¥738

$3.69 ₡1,657

26.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.13 ₡507

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥148

$2.66 ₡1,191

-65.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 ¥1,518

$19.88 ₡8,916

-51.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ¥385

$2.90 ₡1,300

-15.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥341

$3.63 ₡1,626

-40.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.12 ₡504

46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.0 ¥8,050

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-29.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥490

$2.14 ₡958

44.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥458

$1.57 ₡703

84.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.88 ¥2,508

$8.52 ₡3,823

86.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥161

$1.52 ₡682

-32.89%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.66%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-56.80%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

21.73%

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

$23.06 ¥3,643

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-35.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.40 ¥4,961

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 ¥8,067

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-28.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 ¥1,827

$7.89 ₡3,539

46.51%

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

$328 ¥51.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

-33.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

24.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 ¥7,765

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.28 ¥5,733

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-34.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 ¥9,489

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 ¥15.7K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥83.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ¥53.3K

$794 ₡356.2K

-57.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 ¥196.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-68.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 ¥114.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-49.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,684 ¥739.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-32.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 ¥313.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

62.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Hiratsuka: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hiratsuka

$379 29.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.1% $27

Accommodation & Living

Hiratsuka

$338 26.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 135% $457

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hiratsuka

$172 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.2% $14

Eating Out

Hiratsuka

$119 9.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 78.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Hiratsuka

$110 8.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9% $9.9

Getting Around

Hiratsuka

$75 5.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 16% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Hiratsuka

$74 5.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Hiratsuka 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Hiratsuka versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Hiratsuka vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hiratsuka

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

22:45 10:45 PM

15 h behind Hiratsuka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,422

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

Hiratsuka Nosara 13,110 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Hiratsuka
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

Hiratsuka vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,267 in Hiratsuka, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,900 per month in Hiratsuka 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 Hiratsuka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Hiratsuka and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,267 in Hiratsuka and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 45%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiratsuka, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Hiratsuka 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 $1,267 in Hiratsuka 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 Hiratsuka. 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.