Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
Learn more

Jilin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $737 per month in Jilin vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Jilin $737
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,185 per month in Jilin vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Jilin $1,185
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,633 per month in Jilin vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Jilin $1,633
Nosara $3,814

Jilin is about 60% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jilin sits 46% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.79

$12.34 ₡5,535

-76.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 ¥152

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-63.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.51

$7.76 ₡3,481

-31.57%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥23.12

$4.44 ₡1,992

-22.07%

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

$0.45 ¥2.98

$1.79 ₡803

-74.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$1.29 ₡580

-80.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.69

$3.24 ₡1,451

-64.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.12

$4.43 ₡1,985

-48.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.55 ₡696

12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$3.08 ₡1,380

-47.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.53 ₡1,133

-63.24%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.21

$3.45 ₡1,546

-51.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ¥87.4

$7.32 ₡3,284

78.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ¥22.75

$10.24 ₡4,594

-66.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.6

$14.10 ₡6,326

-20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$2.29 ₡1,027

-21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.64 ₡737

-21.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$4.79 ₡2,149

-67.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.64 ₡735

-23.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$3.85 ₡1,727

-81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.44

$3.75 ₡1,681

-74.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$1.09 ₡488

-42.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$2.59 ₡1,160

-79.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.49

$5.12 ₡2,295

-25.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$19.92 ₡8,931

-40.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$2.80 ₡1,255

-68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$3.52 ₡1,580

-53.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.22 ₡549

-76.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-75.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$2.17 ₡973

-50.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ¥1.59

$1.56 ₡698

-84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.35

$8.67 ₡3,886

-18.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.55 ₡697

-19.35%

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

$19.7K ¥131.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.99%

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

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-55.64%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-40.23%

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

$8.74 ¥58.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-75.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.28 ¥75.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-78.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 ¥284

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.22 ¥102

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-57.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 ¥42.12

$7.91 ₡3,548

-20.35%

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

$415 ¥2,774

$490 ₡219.9K

-15.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

46.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 ¥289

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-21.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.09 ¥228

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-38.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-4.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,989

$801 ₡359.1K

-62.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,208

$790 ₡354.1K

-77.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 ¥4,248

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-84.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,517

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-73.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,419 ¥22.9K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-51.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,956 ¥13.1K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

58.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ¥3,018

$887 ₡397.6K

-49.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.62

-61.02%

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

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$207 28.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 68.6% $142

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$181 24.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 337% $609

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$101 13.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.3% $20

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 12.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 126% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$77 10.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 140% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$55 7.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 62.7% $35

Getting Around

Jilin

$22 2.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 309% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Jilin 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.

Salaries run about 96% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Jilin versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $350 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

15:07 3:07 PM

14 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jilin Nosara 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
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

Jilin vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 149% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,106 per month in Jilin 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 Jilin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $415 per month in Jilin and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jilin costs $737 versus $1,835 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 Jilin. 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.