Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagano and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagano: $1,180 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,180

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,180 per month in Nagano vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Nagano $1,180
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,942 per month in Nagano vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Nagano $1,942
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,705 per month in Nagano vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Nagano $2,705
Nosara $3,818

Nagano is about 36% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nagano sits 13% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥991

$12.35 ₡5,539

-49.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.83 ¥6,451

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ¥781

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.31%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ¥533

$4.41 ₡1,978

-23.58%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$1.74 ₡780

-39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$1.31 ₡587

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥388

$3.28 ₡1,471

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$4.47 ₡2,004

-30.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.56 ₡701

-12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥269

$3.02 ₡1,355

-43.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$2.51 ₡1,125

48.61%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥314

$3.57 ₡1,603

-44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,608

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 ¥961

$10.52 ₡4,717

-42.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 ¥2,290

$13.97 ₡6,265

3.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 ¥913

$2.35 ₡1,052

145.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ¥448

$1.61 ₡720

76.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$4.80 ₡2,152

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$1.61 ₡724

152.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$3.80 ₡1,703

-33.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥415

$3.69 ₡1,657

-28.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.13 ₡507

12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 ¥1,015

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥274

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.63 ₡1,626

-41.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥256

$1.12 ₡504

44.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 ¥7,987

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-30.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ¥493

$2.14 ₡958

45.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.57 ₡703

68.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.77 ¥3,281

$8.52 ₡3,823

143.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.52 ₡682

-29.61%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.74%

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

$18.2K ¥2.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.26%

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

$130 ¥20.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

35.06%

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

$24.11 ¥3,810

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.46 ¥1,969

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-76.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,361

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 ¥1,953

$7.89 ₡3,539

56.65%

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

$640 ¥101.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

29.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

24.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ¥9,924

$53.9 ₡24.2K

16.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 ¥5,838

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 ¥9,685

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-21.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥16.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ¥79.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ¥51.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 ¥194.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-68.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 ¥126.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-43.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 ¥706.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 ¥248.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

28.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$622 ¥98.3K

$864 ₡387.3K

-27.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

8.62

-69.37%

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

Last update for Nagano: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagano

$323 27.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 146% $471

Groceries & Markets

Nagano

$289 24.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 21.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagano

$167 14.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.5% $19

Eating Out

Nagano

$131 11.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 61.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nagano

$119 10.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nagano

$78 6.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Nagano

$73 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 18.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $504 in Nagano 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 39% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Nagano versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $352 – making Nagano the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagano

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

08:25 8:25 AM

15 h behind Nagano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,760

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

Nagano Nosara 13,100 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagano
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

Nagano vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 56% more than Nagano, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,770 per month in Nagano 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 Nagano, 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 $41.00 in Nagano 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 $1,180 in Nagano and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nagano, where all-in costs run around $1,180, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nagano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nagano costs $1,180 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nagano. 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.