Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matsuyama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsuyama: $1,324 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,324

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,324 per month in Matsuyama vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Matsuyama $1,324
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Matsuyama vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,006
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,689 per month in Matsuyama vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,689
Nosara $3,818

Matsuyama is about 28% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Matsuyama sits 2% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$12.35 ₡5,539

-48.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.11 ¥4,915

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-49.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.04%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ¥367

$4.41 ₡1,978

-47.39%

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

$1.17 ¥185

$1.74 ₡780

-32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥97.0

$1.31 ₡587

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ¥316

$3.28 ₡1,471

-39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥361

$4.47 ₡2,004

-48.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.56 ₡701

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ¥201

$3.02 ₡1,355

-57.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.49 ¥868

$2.51 ₡1,125

118.73%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥329

$3.57 ₡1,603

-41.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 ¥1,957

$7.43 ₡3,333

66.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 ¥1,470

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.67 ¥5,003

$13.97 ₡6,265

126.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$2.35 ₡1,052

55.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$1.61 ₡720

45.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$4.80 ₡2,152

35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 ¥668

$1.61 ₡724

162.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ¥610

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ¥536

$3.69 ₡1,657

-8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ¥152

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ¥555

$5.18 ₡2,321

-32.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 ¥1,317

$19.88 ₡8,916

-58.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥309

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥239

$3.63 ₡1,626

-58.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 ¥268

$1.12 ₡504

51.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.46 ¥7,815

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-31.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$2.14 ₡958

43.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 ¥487

$1.57 ₡703

96.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.94 ¥4,257

$8.52 ₡3,823

216.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥167

$1.52 ₡682

-30.92%

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

$19.8K ¥3.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-8.23%

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

$16.6K ¥2.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-51.81%

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

$143 ¥22.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

48.18%

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

$24.10 ¥3,808

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.52 ¥6,876

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-18.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 ¥9,293

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-17.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 ¥1,990

$7.89 ₡3,539

59.70%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

-33.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,187 ¥977.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-47.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.97 ¥7,737

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-9.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.93 ¥3,938

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-55.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.50 ¥7,347

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-40.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 ¥10.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ¥84.4K

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥59.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-52.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-69.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ¥103.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-53.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,764 ¥752.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-31.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 ¥306.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

58.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

8.62

-73.55%

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

Last update for Matsuyama: 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

Matsuyama

$381 28.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.5% $29

Accommodation & Living

Matsuyama

$374 28.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 112% $420

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matsuyama

$210 15.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.7% $25

Eating Out

Matsuyama

$116 8.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 83.3% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Matsuyama

$84 6.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Matsuyama

$84 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 43.1% $36

Getting Around

Matsuyama

$75 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 16.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Matsuyama 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Matsuyama versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in Matsuyama vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

08:01 8:01 AM

15 h behind Matsuyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,192

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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Highest

Between locations

Matsuyama Nosara 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Matsuyama
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

Matsuyama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,324 in Matsuyama, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,985 per month in Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Matsuyama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $327 per month in Matsuyama and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matsuyama, where all-in costs run around $1,324, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Matsuyama 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 $1,324 in Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama. 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.