Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nishinomiya and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nishinomiya: $1,282 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Nishinomiya
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Nishinomiya Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Nishinomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,282

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,282 per month in Nishinomiya vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Nishinomiya $1,282
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,060 per month in Nishinomiya vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Nishinomiya $2,060
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,839 per month in Nishinomiya vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Nishinomiya $2,839
Nosara $3,818

Nishinomiya is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nishinomiya sits 5% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.48 ¥1,339

$12.35 ₡5,539

-31.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.23 ¥4,934

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-48.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥817

$7.52 ₡3,373

-31.25%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ¥362

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.07%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$1.74 ₡780

-31.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥98.1

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.28 ₡1,471

-38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ¥373

$4.47 ₡2,004

-47.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥236

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.45 ¥860

$2.51 ₡1,125

117.13%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥334

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 ¥1,994

$7.43 ₡3,333

69.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,489

$10.52 ₡4,717

-10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.69 ¥5,006

$13.97 ₡6,265

126.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 ¥809

$2.35 ₡1,052

117.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.61 ₡720

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$4.80 ₡2,152

-36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ¥965

$1.61 ₡724

279.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ¥256

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$3.69 ₡1,657

-30.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ¥185

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥141

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 ¥537

$5.18 ₡2,321

-34.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,467

$19.88 ₡8,916

-53.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ¥377

$2.90 ₡1,300

-17.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥230

$3.63 ₡1,626

-60.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.12 ₡504

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,229

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-19.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.14 ₡958

51.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.78 ¥440

$1.57 ₡703

77.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.48 ¥2,446

$8.52 ₡3,823

81.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-5.89%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-55.97%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

22.27%

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

$22.94 ¥3,624

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-36.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.96 ¥4,891

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-42.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 ¥9,885

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-12.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.45 ¥1,808

$7.89 ₡3,539

45.12%

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

$326 ¥51.5K

$494 ₡221.6K

-34.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,020 ¥951.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-49.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ¥8,022

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.03 ¥3,954

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-54.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.31 ¥7,316

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-40.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 ¥96.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ¥55.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-56.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 ¥153.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-75.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 ¥126.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-43.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,842 ¥764.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-29.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 ¥281.6K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

45.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,988 ¥314.0K

$864 ₡387.3K

130.16%

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 Nishinomiya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nishinomiya

$378 29.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.8% $26

Accommodation & Living

Nishinomiya

$348 27.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 128% $446

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nishinomiya

$172 13.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.2% $14

Eating Out

Nishinomiya

$133 10.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 59.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Nishinomiya

$85 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.2% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nishinomiya

$84 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 42.3% $36

Getting Around

Nishinomiya

$81 6.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 7% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $608 in Nishinomiya 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 130% higher in Nishinomiya, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Nishinomiya versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $378 in Nishinomiya vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nishinomiya

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

15 h behind Nishinomiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,873

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 →

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Nishinomiya Nosara 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nishinomiya
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

Nishinomiya vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,923 per month in Nishinomiya 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 Nishinomiya, 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 $31.00 in Nishinomiya 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 $1,282 in Nishinomiya and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nishinomiya, where all-in costs run around $1,282, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nishinomiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nishinomiya – 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 Nishinomiya. 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.