Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Boryeong

For one person, living is cheaper in Boryeong: $1,491 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Boryeong
Learn more

Boryeong Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Boryeong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Boryeong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $1,491 in Boryeong.

Nosara $1,846
Boryeong $1,491

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $2,407 in Boryeong.

Nosara $2,833
Boryeong $2,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $3,324 in Boryeong.

Nosara $3,820
Boryeong $3,324

Living in Nosara is roughly 24% more expensive than in Boryeong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Boryeong 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$8.93 ₩11.8K

38.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$68.1 ₩90.3K

-10.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$7.32 ₩9,710

7.65%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.08 ₩5,408

7.84%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.56 ₩2,071

10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.75 ₩990

78.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.77 ₩5,002

-11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$5.85 ₩7,768

-22.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.12 ₩2,812

-22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.15 ₩4,178

0.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$4.19 ₩5,556

-42.96%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.53 ₩4,678

-1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$17.85 ₩23.7K

-60.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$26.69 ₩35.4K

-47.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$7.90 ₩10.5K

-71.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$3.38 ₩4,491

-52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$5.76 ₩7,643

-16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$6.16 ₩8,172

-72.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.68 ₩4,887

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.62 ₩3,478

38.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.92 ₩3,880

-61.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.14 ₩1,514

130.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$3.48 ₩4,616

44.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$18.49 ₩24.5K

6.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.28 ₩3,024

27.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$3.27 ₩4,337

8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.16 ₩1,540

4.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$3.65 ₩4,841

-41.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.64 ₩853

154.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$8.75 ₩11.6K

0.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.45 ₩1,929

6.90%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$29.2K ₩38.7M

16.07%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$28.5K ₩37.9M

34.77%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$212 ₩281.9K

-55.18%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$35.99 ₩47.8K

0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$20.61 ₩27.3K

152.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$54.2 ₩72.0K

24.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$14.07 ₩18.7K

152.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$11.14 ₩14.8K

-32.32%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$379 ₩503.3K

30.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$22.5K ₩29.8M

-47.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$58.5 ₩77.7K

-5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$32.86 ₩43.6K

70.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$69.3 ₩92.0K

12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$84.1 ₩111.5K

-5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$489 ₩648.4K

67.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$361 ₩479.2K

123.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,184 ₩1.6M

236.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$758 ₩1.0M

88.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$7,113 ₩9.4M

-0.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$5,616 ₩7.5M

-78.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$1,484 ₩2.0M

-40.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.08

111.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Boryeong: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Boryeong

$361 24.2% 55.2% $445

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Boryeong

$481 32.2% 36.8% $129

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Boryeong

$182 12.2% 14.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Boryeong

$269 18% 46.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Boryeong

$110 7.4% 8.7% $10

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Boryeong

$12 * 0.8% 87.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Boryeong

$77 5.1% 7.4% $6.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $489 in Boryeong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boryeong pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $68 in Boryeong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $481 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇷 Boryeong

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

20:19 8:19 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

103,620

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Boryeong 13,860 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Boryeong

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 Boryeong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Boryeong differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,846 vs $1,491 including rent). Boryeong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Nosara. 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: $817 in Nosara versus $489 in Boryeong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Nosara versus $379 in Boryeong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61 versus $68 in Boryeong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Boryeong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.