Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,304 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,304 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kanazawa $1,304
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,052
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,800 per month in Kanazawa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,800
Nosara $3,818

Kanazawa is about 29% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kanazawa sits 3% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ¥1,175

$12.35 ₡5,539

-39.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.25 ¥4,937

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-48.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$7.52 ₡3,373

-33.64%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥377

$4.41 ₡1,978

-46.03%

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

$1.13 ¥178

$1.74 ₡780

-35.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.2

$1.31 ₡587

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.28 ₡1,471

-38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥359

$4.47 ₡2,004

-49.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.56 ₡701

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥210

$3.02 ₡1,355

-55.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 ¥873

$2.51 ₡1,125

119.92%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥320

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 ¥2,024

$7.43 ₡3,333

72.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 ¥1,505

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.49 ¥5,132

$13.97 ₡6,265

132.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥584

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ¥366

$1.61 ₡720

44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$4.80 ₡2,152

27.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 ¥655

$1.61 ₡724

157.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ¥582

$3.80 ₡1,703

-3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ¥542

$3.69 ₡1,657

-7.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.13 ₡507

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ¥151

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ¥542

$5.18 ₡2,321

-33.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 ¥1,257

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥240

$3.63 ₡1,626

-58.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.12 ₡504

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 ¥8,568

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-25.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$2.14 ₡958

43.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 ¥491

$1.57 ₡703

98.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.94 ¥4,257

$8.52 ₡3,823

216.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥167

$1.52 ₡682

-30.92%

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

$20.1K ¥3.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-6.90%

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

$16.4K ¥2.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-52.50%

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

$146 ¥23.1K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

52.04%

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

$23.56 ¥3,722

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.65 ¥6,738

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-20.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ¥6,644

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-41.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 ¥1,812

$7.89 ₡3,539

45.37%

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

$318 ¥50.2K

$494 ₡221.6K

-35.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,093 ¥962.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-48.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.09 ¥7,756

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.98 ¥3,947

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-54.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.39 ¥7,329

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-40.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥71.8K

$788 ₡353.4K

-42.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥56.2K

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 ¥158.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-74.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 ¥121.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-45.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,757 ¥751.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 ¥297.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

54.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,869 ¥295.3K

$864 ₡387.3K

116.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

8.62

-73.55%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanazawa

$384 29.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.2% $31

Accommodation & Living

Kanazawa

$356 27.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 123% $438

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanazawa

$213 16.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.6% $27

Eating Out

Kanazawa

$125 9.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 70.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Kanazawa

$83 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 44.4% $37

Getting Around

Kanazawa

$79 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 10.4% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kanazawa

$65 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $454 in Kanazawa 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 116% higher in Kanazawa, 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 $31.00 in Kanazawa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Kanazawa vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

15 h behind Kanazawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

465,699

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

Kanazawa Nosara 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kanazawa
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

Kanazawa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,304 in Kanazawa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,955 per month in Kanazawa 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 Kanazawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,304 in Kanazawa and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,304, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kanazawa 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 $1,304 in Kanazawa 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 Kanazawa. 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.