Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nago, Okinawa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nago, Okinawa: $1,231 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nago, Okinawa
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Nago, Okinawa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nago, Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Nago, Okinawa vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Nago, Okinawa $1,231
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Nago, Okinawa vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Nago, Okinawa $1,923
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,614 per month in Nago, Okinawa vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Nago, Okinawa $2,614
Nosara $3,814

Nago, Okinawa is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nago, Okinawa sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 ¥1,077

$12.34 ₡5,535

-44.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.35 ¥5,586

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-42.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 ¥898

$7.76 ₡3,481

-26.80%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥479

$4.44 ₡1,992

-31.76%

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

$1.10 ¥173

$1.79 ₡803

-38.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$1.29 ₡580

-41.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 ¥332

$3.24 ₡1,451

-35.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ¥482

$4.43 ₡1,985

-31.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥239

$1.55 ₡696

-1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$3.08 ₡1,380

-46.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 ¥738

$2.53 ₡1,133

84.58%

Eggs

$2.28 ¥361

$3.45 ₡1,546

-33.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.13 ¥1,601

$7.32 ₡3,284

38.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 ¥971

$10.24 ₡4,594

-39.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 ¥2,448

$14.10 ₡6,326

9.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 ¥847

$2.29 ₡1,027

134.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.64 ₡737

55.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 ¥652

$4.79 ₡2,149

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 ¥716

$1.64 ₡735

176.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥511

$3.85 ₡1,727

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$3.75 ₡1,681

-31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥217

$1.09 ₡488

26.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥140

$2.59 ₡1,160

-66.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ¥674

$5.12 ₡2,295

-16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 ¥1,027

$19.92 ₡8,931

-67.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥302

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥375

$3.52 ₡1,580

-32.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 ¥250

$1.22 ₡549

29.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 ¥8,840

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-24.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 ¥542

$2.17 ₡973

58.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥454

$1.56 ₡698

83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.07 ¥3,329

$8.67 ₡3,886

143.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.55 ₡697

-20.65%

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

$23.5K ¥3.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-31.99%

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

$16.9K ¥2.7M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-56.50%

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

$139 ¥21.9K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

46.25%

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

$27.18 ¥4,294

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-24.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.51 ¥5,452

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-34.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ¥9,012

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-22.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ¥2,207

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-60.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 ¥2,061

$7.91 ₡3,548

64.85%

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

$285 ¥45.0K

$490 ₡219.9K

-41.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

13.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.95 ¥6,944

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-19.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ¥4,575

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-48.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 ¥9,328

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-26.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 ¥14.6K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥72.8K

$801 ₡359.1K

-42.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$790 ₡354.1K

-58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ¥138.6K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-78.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ¥104.1K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-53.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,826 ¥446.5K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-59.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,726 ¥272.6K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

39.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

8.62

-79.00%

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

Last update for Nago, Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nago, Okinawa

$328 26.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 141% $461

Groceries & Markets

Nago, Okinawa

$306 24.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 14.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nago, Okinawa

$200 16.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 8.2% $16

Eating Out

Nago, Okinawa

$132 10.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 61.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nago, Okinawa

$101 8.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 20% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nago, Okinawa

$83 6.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 7.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Nago, Okinawa

$80 6.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 10.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $461 in Nago, Okinawa versus $801 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 $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $350 – making Nago, Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nago, Okinawa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

15 h behind Nago, Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,554

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 20, 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 20, 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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Nago, Okinawa Nosara 14,560 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nago, Okinawa
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

Nago, Okinawa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Nago, Okinawa and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nago, Okinawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Nago, Okinawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Nago, Okinawa and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nago, Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Nago, Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nago, Okinawa – 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 Nago, Okinawa. 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.