Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maebashi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Maebashi: $1,216 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Maebashi
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Maebashi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,216

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,216 per month in Maebashi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Maebashi $1,216
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,956 per month in Maebashi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Maebashi $1,956
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,696 per month in Maebashi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Maebashi $2,696
Nosara $3,818

Maebashi is about 34% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maebashi sits 10% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ¥694

$12.35 ₡5,539

-64.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.47 ¥4,972

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-48.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.16 ¥815

$7.52 ₡3,373

-31.38%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥392

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.76%

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

$0.77 ¥122

$1.74 ₡780

-55.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥96.7

$1.31 ₡587

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ¥355

$3.28 ₡1,471

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$4.47 ₡2,004

-27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.56 ₡701

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥241

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ¥213

$2.51 ₡1,125

-46.22%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥258

$3.57 ₡1,603

-54.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.66 ¥2,473

$7.43 ₡3,333

110.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 ¥698

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.95 ¥2,679

$13.97 ₡6,265

21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$8.15 ¥1,288

$2.35 ₡1,052

246.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 ¥478

$1.61 ₡720

88.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 ¥776

$4.80 ₡2,152

2.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.65 ¥1,208

$1.61 ₡724

375.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.96 ¥626

$3.80 ₡1,703

4.21%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 ¥751

$3.69 ₡1,657

28.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ¥184

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥77.8

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$5.18 ₡2,321

-23.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.35 ¥1,477

$19.88 ₡8,916

-52.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.90 ₡1,300

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$3.63 ₡1,626

-42.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.12 ₡504

34.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,335

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-27.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$2.14 ₡958

48.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 ¥447

$1.57 ₡703

80.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.19 ¥4,927

$8.52 ₡3,823

266.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.52 ₡682

-29.61%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.32%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-55.57%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

22.30%

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

$23.00 ¥3,633

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-35.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.59 ¥4,992

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥8,141

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-28.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.51 ¥4,978

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-9.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 ¥1,764

$7.89 ₡3,539

41.44%

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

$575 ¥90.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

16.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

21.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.39 ¥7,803

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 ¥5,550

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 ¥9,586

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 ¥15.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥83.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$794 ₡356.2K

-57.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 ¥172.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-72.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,756 ¥593.4K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-45.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,859 ¥293.6K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

51.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 ¥267.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

96.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

8.62

-76.57%

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

Last update for Maebashi: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maebashi

$343 28.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.6% $8.9

Accommodation & Living

Maebashi

$337 27.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 136% $457

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maebashi

$172 14.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 7.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Maebashi

$110 9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.4% $10

Eating Out

Maebashi

$104 8.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 104% $108

Getting Around

Maebashi

$76 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 14.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Maebashi

$74 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Maebashi 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 96% higher in Maebashi, 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 $31.00 in Maebashi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $352 – making Maebashi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Maebashi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

15 h behind Maebashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,644

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

Maebashi Nosara 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Maebashi
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

Maebashi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,824 per month in Maebashi 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 Maebashi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Maebashi and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,216 in Maebashi and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Maebashi, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Maebashi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maebashi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Maebashi. 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.