Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Amagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Amagasaki: $1,196 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Amagasaki
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Amagasaki Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Amagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Amagasaki

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Amagasaki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,196 in Amagasaki.

Nosara $1,835
Amagasaki $1,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,898 in Amagasaki.

Nosara $2,825
Amagasaki $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,600 in Amagasaki.

Nosara $3,814
Amagasaki $2,600

Living in Nosara is roughly 53% more expensive than in Amagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Amagasaki is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.12 ¥967

101.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.29 ¥4,944

95.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.18 ¥819

49.81%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.09 ¥488

43.69%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.23 ¥195

45.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.81 ¥127

59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.66 ¥420

21.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.07 ¥484

44.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.46 ¥231

6.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.62 ¥256

90.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$4.08 ¥645

-37.99%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.09 ¥330

65.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.32 ¥1,630

-29.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.73 ¥1,064

52.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$16.78 ¥2,651

-15.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.77 ¥595

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.30 ¥363

-28.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.92 ¥461

64.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.19 ¥662

-60.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.43 ¥384

58.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.50 ¥395

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.24 ¥196

-12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.80 ¥127

223.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.84 ¥607

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.75 ¥1,066

195.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.85 ¥293

51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.16 ¥342

62.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.51 ¥239

-19.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$53.1 ¥8,384

39.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.17 ¥500

-31.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.92 ¥462

-46.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$18.76 ¥2,964

-53.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.11 ¥175

39.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.3K ¥3.4M

62.53%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

158.45%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$136 ¥21.5K

-30.31%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$23.70 ¥3,745

52.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$30.82 ¥4,870

72.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$53.0 ¥8,378

39.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.12 ¥1,915

-34.74%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$510 ¥80.5K

-3.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-4.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.84 ¥7,875

9.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$31.38 ¥4,957

78.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$62.0 ¥9,798

29.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.3 ¥13.9K

-11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$530 ¥83.8K

51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$329 ¥51.9K

140.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,124 ¥177.6K

256.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$751 ¥118.6K

87.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,292 ¥678.0K

64.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,754 ¥277.1K

-29.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$3,008 ¥475.2K

-70.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.21

290.05%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Amagasaki: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Amagasaki

$329 27.5% 58.4% $461

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Amagasaki

$290 24.2% 17.2% $60

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Amagasaki

$129 10.8% 39.3% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Amagasaki

$191 15.9% 3.6% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Amagasaki

$104 8.7% 13.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Amagasaki

$77 6.5% 13.8% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Amagasaki

$77 6.4% 13.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $530 in Amagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amagasaki pays 239% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $31.00 in Amagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $290 per month, with Amagasaki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Amagasaki

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

459,593

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Amagasaki 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Amagasaki

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

Nosara vs Amagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Amagasaki differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $1,196 including rent). Amagasaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 239% lower in Amagasaki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $530 in Amagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Amagasaki – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,196 in Amagasaki versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Amagasaki but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Amagasaki 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, Nosara and Amagasaki 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 Amagasaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.