Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagoya and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagoya: $1,369 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,369

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,369 in Nagoya versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Nagoya $1,369
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,170 in Nagoya versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Nagoya $2,170
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,972 in Nagoya versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Nagoya $2,972
Nosara $3,818

Living in Nagoya costs roughly 26% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nagoya 1% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 ¥1,355

$12.35 ₡5,539

-30.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,919

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-49.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥808

$7.52 ₡3,373

-32.05%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ¥377

$4.41 ₡1,978

-45.80%

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

$1.24 ¥195

$1.74 ₡780

-28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥135

$1.31 ₡587

-35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 ¥489

$3.28 ₡1,471

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$4.47 ₡2,004

-28.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥241

$3.02 ₡1,355

-49.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 ¥637

$2.51 ₡1,125

60.56%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$3.57 ₡1,603

-39.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.68 ¥2,477

$7.43 ₡3,333

111.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 ¥1,129

$10.52 ₡4,717

-32.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.92 ¥2,674

$13.97 ₡6,265

21.12%

Apples (1kg)

$8.42 ¥1,330

$2.35 ₡1,052

258.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ¥459

$1.61 ₡720

80.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

$4.80 ₡2,152

1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 ¥1,238

$1.61 ₡724

386.96%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$3.80 ₡1,703

7.37%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 ¥750

$3.69 ₡1,657

28.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.13 ₡507

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$5.18 ₡2,321

-25.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.47 ¥1,496

$19.88 ₡8,916

-52.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$2.90 ₡1,300

-14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥345

$3.63 ₡1,626

-39.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.12 ₡504

33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 ¥18.6K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

62.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥505

$2.14 ₡958

49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 ¥451

$1.57 ₡703

81.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.80 ¥2,495

$8.52 ₡3,823

85.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.52 ₡682

-27.63%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.12%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-56.87%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

19.48%

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

$23.65 ¥3,736

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 ¥4,926

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 ¥7,971

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-29.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.41 ¥2,119

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-61.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ¥1,784

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.09%

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

$572 ¥90.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

15.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

24.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.53 ¥7,826

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 ¥5,666

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-35.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 ¥9,427

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-23.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 ¥15.7K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 ¥84.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-31.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥55.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥189.5K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ¥118.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,031 ¥320.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,030 ¥162.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-15.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 ¥297.4K

$864 ₡387.3K

117.98%

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 Nagoya: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nagoya

$380 27.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.3% $28

Accommodation & Living

Nagoya

$352 25.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 126% $443

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagoya

$170 12.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 9.3% $16

Eating Out

Nagoya

$143 10.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 48.4% $69

Getting Around

Nagoya

$141 10.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 38.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nagoya

$110 8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nagoya

$73 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $537 in Nagoya and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nagoya pays 118% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Nagoya vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

15 h behind Nagoya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,236,000

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 18, 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 18, 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

Nagoya Nosara 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagoya
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

Nagoya vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagoya is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 118% higher in Nagoya, 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: $537 in Nagoya versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nagoya runs roughly 62% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $572 in Nagoya versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,369 in Nagoya versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nagoya but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Nagoya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nagoya is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nagoya 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 Nagoya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.