Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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 Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Asahikawa $1,159

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,832 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Asahikawa $1,832

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,506 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Asahikawa $2,506

Nosara costs about 59% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Asahikawa is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.40 ¥853

128.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$35.56 ¥5,618

72.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.53 ¥873

35.99%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.94 ¥465

50.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.16 ¥184

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.76 ¥120

72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.86 ¥451

14.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.44 ¥544

29.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.61 ¥255

-3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.52 ¥240

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.77 ¥595

-33.42%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.06 ¥326

73.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.07 ¥1,749

-32.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.98 ¥944

75.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.60 ¥2,938

-24.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.45 ¥545

-31.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.35 ¥372

-31.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.83 ¥448

69.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.73 ¥747

-65.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.28 ¥360

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.62 ¥413

40.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.15 ¥181

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.87 ¥138

205.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.46 ¥705

16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.16 ¥1,130

177.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.76 ¥277

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.26 ¥358

60.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.29 ¥204

-13.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$60.6 ¥9,570

19.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.36 ¥531

-36.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.74 ¥433

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$17.41 ¥2,751

-51.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.06 ¥168

43.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-1.51%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

155.82%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$117 ¥18.5K

-17.75%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.69 ¥4,059

39.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.71 ¥4,378

93.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$49.78 ¥7,864

43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.53 ¥2,138

-41.69%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$500 ¥79.0K

-1.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.2K ¥1.9M

-2.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.15 ¥7,607

12.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$33.48 ¥5,290

65.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$66.1 ¥10.4K

17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$85.5 ¥13.5K

-6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$453 ¥71.6K

73.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$306 ¥48.3K

159.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,104 ¥174.4K

256.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$640 ¥101.1K

121.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,448 ¥702.8K

55.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,801 ¥284.5K

-32.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Asahikawa

$306 26.4% 61.5% $489

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Asahikawa

$295 25.4% 16.4% $58

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Asahikawa

$124 10.7% 41.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Asahikawa

$170 14.7% 8.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Asahikawa

$105 9.1% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Asahikawa

$77 6.6% 12.1% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Asahikawa

$83 7.1% 5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $453 in Asahikawa. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $36.00 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $295 – making Asahikawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

329,306

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Asahikawa 12,330 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,159 in Asahikawa – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,739 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 20% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $500 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Asahikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,159 in Asahikawa to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Asahikawa. 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.