Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,332 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Japan is 10.8% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 27.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Japan is 27.1% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 27.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.27 ¥993
$12.22 ₡5,509
-48.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.23 ¥5,101
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-46.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.08 ¥805
$7.54 ₡3,399
-32.63%
Cappuccino
$3.11 ¥492
$4.31 ₡1,941
-27.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 ¥178
$1.72 ₡773
-34.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$1.35 ₡608
-45.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.25 ¥515
$3.24 ₡1,459
0.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ¥590
$4.48 ₡2,018
-16.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ¥236
$1.57 ₡707
-5.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ¥229
$3.17 ₡1,429
-54.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.94 ¥782
$2.42 ₡1,091
104.13%
Eggs
$2.11 ¥333
$3.57 ₡1,609
-40.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.44 ¥1,810
$7.43 ₡3,349
53.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.32 ¥1,000
$10.42 ₡4,697
-39.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.80 ¥2,817
$13.66 ₡6,156
30.31%
Apples (1kg)
$4.80 ¥760
$2.32 ₡1,044
106.90%
Banana (1kg)
$2.45 ¥388
$1.61 ₡728
52.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.29 ¥680
$4.74 ₡2,138
-9.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.52 ¥715
$1.66 ₡747
172.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.70 ¥428
$3.72 ₡1,679
-27.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.70 ¥427
$3.57 ₡1,611
-24.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ¥211
$1.10 ₡497
21.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ¥140
$2.55 ₡1,149
-65.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.88 ¥614
$4.95 ₡2,232
-21.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 ¥1,186
$20.01 ₡9,020
-62.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 ¥301
$2.79 ₡1,256
-31.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 ¥415
$3.53 ₡1,589
-25.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Japan
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 ¥215
$1.19 ₡537
14.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.6 ¥9,122
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-20.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.66 ¥578
$2.24 ₡1,011
63.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.16 ¥499
$1.55 ₡701
103.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.05 ¥3,174
$8.86 ₡3,993
126.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ¥170
$1.57 ₡708
-31.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ¥3.4M
$21.8K ₡9.8M
-0.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.1K ¥2.5M
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-53.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 ¥24.7K
$93.5 ₡42.1K
66.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.21 ¥3,831
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-31.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.72 ¥5,178
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-36.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 ¥8,326
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-26.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.92 ¥2,836
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-49.44%
Cinema Ticket
$12.84 ¥2,032
$7.84 ₡3,535
63.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$544 ¥86.2K
$490 ₡220.7K
11.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K ¥1.9M
$11.9K ₡5.4M
1.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.82 ¥7,409
$53.5 ₡24.1K
-12.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.43 ¥4,657
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-47.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.8 ¥9,774
$79.3 ₡35.7K
-22.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 ¥12.4K
$78.9 ₡35.6K
-0.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Japan
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$569 ¥90.1K
$786 ₡354.3K
-27.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 ¥61.7K
$780 ₡351.6K
-49.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,310 ¥207.4K
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-66.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$770 ¥121.8K
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-45.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,494 ¥869.3K
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-21.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,810 ¥444.6K
$1,201 ₡541.3K
134.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Japan
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,077 ¥328.7K
$876 ₡395.0K
137.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.13
8.62
-75.29%

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

Last update for Japan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Japan
$390
Nosara
$780 99.9% $390
Groceries & Markets
Japan
$315
Nosara
$350 11.1% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
$213
Nosara
$180 15.4% $33
Eating Out
Japan
$134
Nosara
$209 56.4% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Japan
$97
Nosara
$120 23.7% $23
Getting Around
Japan
$83
Nosara
$87 5.3% $4.3
Sport & Entertainment
Japan
$78
Nosara
$87 11.2% $8.8
Good to know
🇯🇵 Japan
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
16:15 4:15 PM
01:15 1:15 AM
15 h behind Japan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
125,440,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Japan Nosara 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Japan
  • 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

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