Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Kaohsiung $1,108
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,821 in Kaohsiung versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Kaohsiung $1,821
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,535 in Kaohsiung versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Kaohsiung $2,535
Nosara $3,712

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 40% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaohsiung is 17% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 NT$174

$12.22 ₡5,509

-55.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 NT$1,020

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-46.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 NT$155

$7.54 ₡3,399

-35.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NT$90.4

$4.31 ₡1,941

-34.34%

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

$1.14 NT$36.40

$1.72 ₡773

-33.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.76

$1.35 ₡608

-47.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.85

$3.24 ₡1,459

-52.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.5

$4.48 ₡2,018

-43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 NT$104

$1.57 ₡707

107.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NT$69.7

$3.17 ₡1,429

-30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$98.1

$2.42 ₡1,091

26.86%

Eggs

$2.67 NT$85.2

$3.57 ₡1,609

-25.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 NT$515

$7.43 ₡3,349

117.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 NT$258

$10.42 ₡4,697

-22.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 NT$486

$13.66 ₡6,156

11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 NT$217

$2.32 ₡1,044

193.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$1.61 ₡728

75.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 NT$82.0

$4.74 ₡2,138

-45.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$98.4

$1.66 ₡747

85.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$90.7

$3.72 ₡1,679

-23.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 NT$65.8

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 NT$78.2

$1.10 ₡497

122.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.18

$2.55 ₡1,149

-59.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 NT$145

$4.95 ₡2,232

-8.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

$20.01 ₡9,020

-21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

$2.79 ₡1,256

-40.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

$3.53 ₡1,589

-36.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 NT$21.68

$1.19 ₡537

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 NT$404

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-82.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NT$88.0

$2.24 ₡1,011

23.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.98

$1.55 ₡701

-51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 NT$176

$8.86 ₡3,993

-37.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.50

$1.57 ₡708

-35.03%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

54.30%

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

$23.0K NT$735.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-33.47%

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

$84.8 NT$2,705

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-9.28%

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

$17.34 NT$553

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-50.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 NT$822

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-49.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 NT$1,315

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-42.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 NT$332

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-70.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 NT$350

$7.84 ₡3,535

39.80%

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

$462 NT$14.7K

$490 ₡220.7K

-5.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$449.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

18.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 NT$2,982

$53.5 ₡24.1K

74.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.88 NT$1,017

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-42.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 NT$2,740

$79.3 ₡35.7K

8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,314

$78.9 ₡35.6K

31.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 NT$13.2K

$786 ₡354.3K

-47.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NT$8,808

$780 ₡351.6K

-64.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 NT$31.2K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-74.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 NT$21.3K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-52.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 NT$146.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-34.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,154 NT$100.7K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

162.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 NT$46.7K

$876 ₡395.0K

66.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

8.62

-70.30%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 4.9% $18

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 183% $504

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 40.8% $52

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 86.3% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.9% $24

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 297% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Kaohsiung and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kaohsiung vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

14 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

4,912

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 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).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kaohsiung Nosara 15,420 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
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

Kaohsiung vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Nosara differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,108 vs $1,837 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Kaohsiung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $415 in Kaohsiung versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Kaohsiung versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kaohsiung and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.