Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kashiwa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kashiwa: $1,230 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
Learn more

Kashiwa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,230

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,230 per month in Kashiwa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kashiwa $1,230
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,857 per month in Kashiwa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Kashiwa $1,857
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,484 per month in Kashiwa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kashiwa $2,484
Nosara $3,818

Kashiwa is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kashiwa sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.44 ¥1,018

$12.35 ₡5,539

-47.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.90 ¥3,933

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥811

$7.52 ₡3,373

-31.78%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥546

$4.41 ₡1,978

-21.54%

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

$0.69 ¥108

$1.74 ₡780

-60.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$1.31 ₡587

-39.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 ¥391

$3.28 ₡1,471

-24.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥494

$4.47 ₡2,004

-29.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.56 ₡701

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ¥179

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥567

$2.51 ₡1,125

43.03%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥293

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 ¥1,010

$7.43 ₡3,333

-14.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.06 ¥958

$10.52 ₡4,717

-42.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 ¥1,480

$13.97 ₡6,265

-32.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.66 ¥893

$2.35 ₡1,052

140.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 ¥428

$1.61 ₡720

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 ¥465

$4.80 ₡2,152

-38.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ¥646

$1.61 ₡724

154.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥394

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$3.69 ₡1,657

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥95.4

$1.13 ₡507

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥96.6

$2.66 ₡1,191

-77.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥614

$5.18 ₡2,321

-25.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ¥1,003

$19.88 ₡8,916

-68.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥301

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.12 ₡504

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.4 ¥8,439

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-26.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥490

$2.14 ₡958

44.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.57 ₡703

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.60 ¥3,255

$8.52 ₡3,823

141.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ¥159

$1.52 ₡682

-34.21%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.14%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-46.48%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

31.93%

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

$24.24 ¥3,830

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.65 ¥5,000

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-40.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,356

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.83 ¥2,027

$7.89 ₡3,539

62.61%

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

$628 ¥99.2K

$494 ₡221.6K

27.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

23.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ¥9,813

$53.9 ₡24.2K

15.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 ¥5,906

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 ¥9,714

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥15.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥82.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-33.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ¥63.2K

$794 ₡356.2K

-49.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 ¥177.5K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-71.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,183 ¥660.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-39.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,934 ¥305.5K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

57.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,653 ¥419.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

207.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

8.62

-69.37%

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

Last update for Kashiwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kashiwa

$400 32.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 98.5% $394

Groceries & Markets

Kashiwa

$248 20.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 42.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kashiwa

$183 14.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.5% $2.8

Eating Out

Kashiwa

$133 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 59.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Kashiwa

$118 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kashiwa

$79 6.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Kashiwa

$70 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 24.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Kashiwa 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 207% higher in Kashiwa, 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 $25.00 in Kashiwa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $352 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

15:48 3:48 PM

15 h behind Kashiwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,394

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kashiwa Nosara 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kashiwa
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

Kashiwa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,230 in Kashiwa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,845 per month in Kashiwa 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 Kashiwa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Kashiwa and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kashiwa, where all-in costs run around $1,230, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kashiwa 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 $1,230 in Kashiwa 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 Kashiwa. 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.