Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $794 in Miaoli versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Miaoli $794
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,109 in Miaoli versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Miaoli $1,109
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,425 in Miaoli versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Miaoli $1,425
Nosara $3,712

Living in Miaoli costs roughly 57% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Miaoli is 41% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.46 NT$78.6

$12.22 ₡5,509

-79.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 NT$756

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-60.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$150

$7.54 ₡3,399

-37.80%

Cappuccino

$3.01 NT$96.1

$4.31 ₡1,941

-30.16%

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

$0.86 NT$27.33

$1.72 ₡773

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$16.97

$1.35 ₡608

-60.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 NT$39.22

$3.24 ₡1,459

-62.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$43.36

$4.48 ₡2,018

-69.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 NT$86.0

$1.57 ₡707

71.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NT$39.79

$3.17 ₡1,429

-60.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.7

$2.42 ₡1,091

12.40%

Eggs

$2.21 NT$70.5

$3.57 ₡1,609

-38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 NT$295

$7.43 ₡3,349

24.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.54 NT$241

$10.42 ₡4,697

-27.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 NT$697

$13.66 ₡6,156

59.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$119

$2.32 ₡1,044

61.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NT$63.2

$1.61 ₡728

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$97.3

$4.74 ₡2,138

-35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$1.66 ₡747

86.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$78.9

$3.72 ₡1,679

-33.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NT$65.2

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$73.5

$1.10 ₡497

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$27.78

$2.55 ₡1,149

-65.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 NT$129

$4.95 ₡2,232

-17.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 NT$351

$20.01 ₡9,020

-45.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NT$47.39

$2.79 ₡1,256

-46.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NT$66.5

$3.53 ₡1,589

-41.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 NT$92.6

$2.24 ₡1,011

29.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.97

$1.55 ₡701

-51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 NT$225

$8.86 ₡3,993

-20.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.92

$1.57 ₡708

-34.39%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

52.62%

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

$23.8K NT$758.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-31.38%

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

$69.0 NT$2,201

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-26.20%

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

$18.41 NT$587

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-47.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 NT$713

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-56.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NT$350

$7.84 ₡3,535

39.92%

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

$517 NT$16.5K

$490 ₡220.7K

5.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K NT$1.0M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

167.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.55 NT$400

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-76.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.14 NT$802

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-54.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 NT$2,036

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 NT$3,172

$78.9 ₡35.6K

26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$6,917

$786 ₡354.3K

-72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,030

$780 ₡351.6K

-79.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,500 NT$79.8K

$876 ₡395.0K

185.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

8.62

-72.39%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$313 39.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 11.7% $37

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 395% $622

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$110 14%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 64.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$90 11.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 33.1% $30

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 148% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 297% $65

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1204% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $217 in Miaoli and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 185% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Miaoli vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $350 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

14 h behind Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

4,912

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Miaoli Nosara 15,220 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
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

Miaoli vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miaoli and Nosara differ by about 131% in total monthly costs ($794 vs $1,837 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 185% higher in Miaoli, 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: $217 in Miaoli versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $794 per month in Miaoli versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $794 in Miaoli versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli 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, Miaoli 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.