Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,229 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 Kyoto
Learn more

Kyoto Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Kyoto vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kyoto $1,229
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,987 per month in Kyoto vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Kyoto $1,987
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Kyoto vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kyoto $2,745
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.52 ¥1,504

$12.35 ₡5,539

-22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 ¥5,031

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-47.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ¥791

$7.52 ₡3,373

-33.51%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥529

$4.41 ₡1,978

-24.04%

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

$0.83 ¥132

$1.74 ₡780

-52.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥115

$1.31 ₡587

-44.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.28 ₡1,471

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 ¥870

$4.47 ₡2,004

23.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.56 ₡701

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥258

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.74 ¥907

$2.51 ₡1,125

128.69%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥335

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 ¥1,353

$7.43 ₡3,333

15.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 ¥1,197

$10.52 ₡4,717

-27.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$13.97 ₡6,265

-23.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ¥815

$2.35 ₡1,052

119.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.61 ₡720

40.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$4.80 ₡2,152

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 ¥555

$1.61 ₡724

118.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥307

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$3.69 ₡1,657

-55.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.13 ₡507

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$5.18 ₡2,321

-25.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ¥1,189

$19.88 ₡8,916

-62.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.90 ₡1,300

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ¥517

$3.63 ₡1,626

-9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$1.12 ₡504

32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 ¥10.0K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥513

$2.14 ₡958

51.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ¥596

$1.57 ₡703

140.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 ¥4,521

$8.52 ₡3,823

235.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.52 ₡682

-30.26%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.79%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-56.19%

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

$102 ¥16.1K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

5.58%

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

$23.50 ¥3,712

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.15 ¥4,921

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,265

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 ¥3,001

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-45.57%

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 ¥1,905

$7.89 ₡3,539

52.85%

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

$642 ¥101.5K

$494 ₡221.6K

29.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,412 ¥1.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-45.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 ¥8,980

$53.9 ₡24.2K

5.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.66 ¥7,214

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-17.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 ¥11.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥87.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 ¥275.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥121.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-46.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,241 ¥354.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-67.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,270 ¥200.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

3.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 ¥298.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

118.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

8.62

-74.13%

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

Last update for Kyoto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyoto

$325 26.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 144% $469

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$291 23.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 21.1% $61

Eating Out

Kyoto

$165 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$156 12.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 18.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$124 10.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Kyoto

$91 7.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4.8% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$76 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Kyoto 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 119% higher in Kyoto, 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 $32.00 in Kyoto versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $352 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

01:20 1:20 AM

15 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

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

Kyoto Nosara 13,380 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

Kyoto vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,229 in Kyoto, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,844 per month in Kyoto 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 Kyoto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kyoto and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kyoto 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 $1,229 in Kyoto 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 Kyoto. 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.