Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Kurume versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Kurume $965
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,529 in Kurume versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Kurume $1,529
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,092 in Kurume versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Kurume $2,092
Nosara $3,818

Living in Kurume costs roughly 48% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurume is 29% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ¥700

$12.35 ₡5,539

-64.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ¥6,900

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-28.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 ¥601

$7.52 ₡3,373

-49.34%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ¥302

$4.41 ₡1,978

-56.69%

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

$0.66 ¥104

$1.74 ₡780

-62.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.2

$1.31 ₡587

-58.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$3.28 ₡1,471

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥252

$4.47 ₡2,004

-64.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.56 ₡701

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥197

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥810

$2.51 ₡1,125

104.38%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥296

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ¥2,821

$7.43 ₡3,333

140.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ¥841

$10.52 ₡4,717

-49.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 ¥3,022

$13.97 ₡6,265

36.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥584

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.61 ₡720

16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥456

$4.80 ₡2,152

-39.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$1.61 ₡724

102.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 ¥336

$3.80 ₡1,703

-43.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$3.69 ₡1,657

-28.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.13 ₡507

-6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥575

$5.18 ₡2,321

-29.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥981

$19.88 ₡8,916

-68.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$2.90 ₡1,300

-43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ¥181

$3.63 ₡1,626

-68.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.12 ₡504

34.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.98 ¥7,423

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$2.14 ₡958

85.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.57 ₡703

34.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.62 ¥2,784

$8.52 ₡3,823

106.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ¥94.5

$1.52 ₡682

-60.53%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.61%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-48.55%

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

$210 ¥33.1K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

117.71%

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

$24.97 ¥3,944

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ¥3,570

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-57.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ¥8,724

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥1,078

$7.89 ₡3,539

-13.56%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

-74.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.62 ¥7,682

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-9.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ¥1,953

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-77.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.78 ¥3,915

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-68.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.02 ¥4,901

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-61.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ¥20.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-84.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-88.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-77.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 ¥674.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-38.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥297.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

53.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,537 ¥242.8K

$864 ₡387.3K

77.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

8.62

-77.15%

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

Last update for Kurume: 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

Kurume

$299 30.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 17.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$257 26.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 27.8% $71

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$126 13.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 528% $668

Eating Out

Kurume

$94 9.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 126% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$69 7.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.9% $19

Getting Around

Kurume

$68 7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 29% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 129% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Kurume and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kurume pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Kurume vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $352 per month, with Kurume cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

01:07 1:07 AM

15 h behind Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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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Between locations

Kurume Nosara 13,870 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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

Kurume vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurume and Nosara differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($965 vs $1,839 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Kurume, 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: $531 in Kurume versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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, Kurume 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 Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.