Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koriyama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Koriyama $1,187
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Koriyama versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Koriyama $1,881
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,575 in Koriyama versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Koriyama $2,575
Nosara $3,814

Living in Koriyama costs roughly 35% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koriyama is 12% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ¥967

$12.34 ₡5,535

-50.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.16 ¥4,923

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-49.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$7.76 ₡3,481

-33.89%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$4.44 ₡1,992

-33.33%

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

$1.24 ¥195

$1.79 ₡803

-30.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$1.29 ₡580

-39.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 ¥426

$3.24 ₡1,451

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$4.43 ₡1,985

-28.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.55 ₡696

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$3.08 ₡1,380

-49.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 ¥664

$2.53 ₡1,133

66.01%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥317

$3.45 ₡1,546

-41.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$7.32 ₡3,284

39.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ¥1,051

$10.24 ₡4,594

-35.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 ¥2,635

$14.10 ₡6,326

18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$2.29 ₡1,027

59.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$1.64 ₡737

38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$4.79 ₡2,149

-39.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$1.64 ₡735

148.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$3.75 ₡1,681

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.09 ₡488

18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$2.59 ₡1,160

-67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥608

$5.12 ₡2,295

-24.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 ¥1,074

$19.92 ₡8,931

-65.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$2.80 ₡1,255

-33.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.52 ₡1,580

-40.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥241

$1.22 ₡549

24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 ¥8,380

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-28.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥508

$2.17 ₡973

48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥453

$1.56 ₡698

83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.64 ¥2,945

$8.67 ₡3,886

114.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.55 ₡697

-29.03%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-39.39%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-60.68%

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

$134 ¥21.2K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

41.81%

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

$24.63 ¥3,890

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.55 ¥4,984

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,243

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-29.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 ¥1,899

$7.91 ₡3,548

51.96%

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

$523 ¥82.7K

$490 ₡219.9K

6.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

6.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,799

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-9.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥4,999

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-43.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,639

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-24.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 ¥13.8K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥85.6K

$801 ₡359.1K

-32.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$790 ₡354.1K

-58.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 ¥174.1K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-72.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ¥116.8K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-47.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,230 ¥668.2K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-40.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,778 ¥280.8K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

43.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

8.62

-74.36%

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

Last update for Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koriyama

$325 27.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 143% $464

Groceries & Markets

Koriyama

$287 24.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 21.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koriyama

$191 16.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 3.5% $6.6

Eating Out

Koriyama

$128 10.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 66.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Koriyama

$103 8.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 17.2% $18

Getting Around

Koriyama

$77 6.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 15.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Koriyama

$76 6.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 17.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Koriyama and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Koriyama vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $350 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

15 h behind Koriyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

327,692

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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Koriyama Nosara 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Koriyama
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

Koriyama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koriyama and Nosara differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,187 vs $1,835 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,781 in Koriyama and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Koriyama versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 39% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $523 in Koriyama versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama 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, Koriyama 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 Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.