Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iksan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Iksan: $1,408 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Iksan
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Iksan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Iksan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,408

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,408 per month in Iksan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Iksan $1,408
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,188 per month in Iksan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Iksan $2,188
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,968 per month in Iksan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Iksan $2,968
Nosara $3,818

Iksan is about 23% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Iksan and Nosara sit above the global median – Iksan by 4%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,888

$12.35 ₡5,539

-52.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.97 ₩46.7K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-42.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.88 ₩9,181

$7.52 ₡3,373

-8.51%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₩5,007

$4.41 ₡1,978

-14.97%

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

$1.56 ₩2,076

$1.74 ₡780

-10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₩826

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,560

$3.28 ₡1,471

4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ₩6,107

$4.47 ₡2,004

2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ₩2,944

$1.56 ₡701

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₩4,248

$3.02 ₡1,355

5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₩3,087

$2.51 ₡1,125

-7.97%

Eggs

$3.26 ₩4,349

$3.57 ₡1,603

-8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 ₩20.8K

$7.43 ₡3,333

109.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.74 ₩10.3K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-26.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.13 ₩14.9K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$7.61 ₩10.2K

$2.35 ₡1,052

223.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.20 ₩4,269

$1.61 ₡720

98.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.38 ₩9,840

$4.80 ₡2,152

53.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.98 ₩9,313

$1.61 ₡724

333.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,727

$3.80 ₡1,703

-6.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 ₩3,297

$3.69 ₡1,657

-33.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 ₩2,772

$1.13 ₡507

84.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,790

$2.66 ₡1,191

-49.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,468

$5.18 ₡2,321

-35.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ₩25.2K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-5.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₩2,907

$2.90 ₡1,300

-24.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₩4,720

$3.63 ₡1,626

-2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,525

$1.12 ₡504

1.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,733

$2.14 ₡958

65.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩873

$1.57 ₡703

-58.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.03 ₩17.4K

$8.52 ₡3,823

52.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,882

$1.52 ₡682

-7.24%

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

$29.8K ₩39.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

38.10%

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

$35.8K ₩47.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

3.64%

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

$207 ₩275.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

114.52%

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

$43.18 ₩57.6K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

20.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.21 ₩28.3K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-60.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 ₩69.9K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.04 ₩16.1K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-65.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 ₩14.6K

$7.89 ₡3,539

39.16%

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

$295 ₩393.5K

$494 ₡221.6K

-40.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K ₩23.9M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

51.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 ₩85.8K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

19.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.0 ₩85.4K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ₩99.6K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-4.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₩135.3K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

27.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₩642.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-38.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₩471.8K

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 ₩1.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₩1.0M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,071 ₩9.4M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

2.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,496 ₩7.3M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

349.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,690 ₩2.3M

$864 ₡387.3K

95.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

8.62

-52.44%

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

Last update for Iksan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Iksan

$412 29.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.6% $60

Accommodation & Living

Iksan

$354 25.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 125% $441

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iksan

$271 19.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.4% $85

Eating Out

Iksan

$148 10.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 43.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Iksan

$137 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Iksan

$74 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Iksan

$11 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 665% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Iksan 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 96% higher in Iksan, 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 $35.00 in Iksan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $412 in Iksan vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Iksan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

15:35 3:35 PM

15 h behind Iksan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,000

4,912

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Iksan Nosara 13,870 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Iksan
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

Iksan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 31% more than Iksan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,111 per month in Iksan 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 Iksan, 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 $35.00 in Iksan and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Iksan, where all-in costs run around $1,408, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Iksan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Iksan costs $1,408 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Iksan. 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.