Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Atsugi

For one person, living is cheaper in Atsugi: $1,244 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
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Atsugi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Atsugi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,244 in Atsugi.

Nosara $1,839
Atsugi $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,157 in Atsugi.

Nosara $2,828
Atsugi $2,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,070 in Atsugi.

Nosara $3,818
Atsugi $3,070

Living in Nosara is roughly 48% more expensive than in Atsugi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Atsugi is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.93 ¥1,252

55.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$25.65 ¥4,052

138.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.95 ¥782

51.92%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.90 ¥301

132.11%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.93 ¥147

87.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.68 ¥107

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.72 ¥429

20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.07 ¥484

45.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.51 ¥238

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.48 ¥233

104.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.05 ¥640

-38.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.08 ¥328

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.93 ¥2,517

-53.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.48 ¥708

134.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.30 ¥1,943

13.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.30 ¥838

-55.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.98 ¥312

-18.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.80 ¥601

26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.70 ¥426

-40.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.64 ¥417

43.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.92 ¥304

92.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.16 ¥184

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.90 ¥142

195.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.52 ¥557

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.35 ¥1,477

112.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.61 ¥255

80.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.15 ¥340

68.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.61 ¥412

-57.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$52.4 ¥8,275

38.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.11 ¥491

-31.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.81 ¥445

-44.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.62 ¥1,520

-11.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 ¥166

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$12.7K ¥2.0M

70.22%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

125.99%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$230 ¥36.3K

-58.08%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.11 ¥2,230

154.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.54 ¥4,825

75.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.6 ¥8,147

38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.46 ¥1,179

367.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.56 ¥1,827

-31.75%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$321 ¥50.7K

54.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,085 ¥961.3K

94.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$40.67 ¥6,425

32.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$24.20 ¥3,824

128.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$53.4 ¥8,433

45.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$31.98 ¥5,053

148.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$523 ¥82.6K

50.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$334 ¥52.7K

138.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,090 ¥172.2K

261.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,260 ¥199.1K

12.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,945 ¥623.3K

75.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,794 ¥283.4K

-31.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,774 ¥596.3K

-77.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.02

326.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Atsugi

$334 26.8% 58% $461

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Atsugi

$287 23.1% 18.6% $65

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Atsugi

$127 10.2% 39.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Atsugi

$274 22.1% 47.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Atsugi

$68 5.4% 43.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Atsugi

$75 6% 14.5% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Atsugi

$80 6.4% 8.2% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $523 in Atsugi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays 337% 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 $26.00 in Atsugi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $287 per month, with Atsugi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

223,705

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Nosara Atsugi 13,100 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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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 Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Atsugi differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,244 including rent). Atsugi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 337% lower in Atsugi. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $523 in Atsugi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Atsugi – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,244 in Atsugi – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Atsugi versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atsugi but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Atsugi 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 Atsugi 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 Atsugi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.