Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Changwon: $1,538 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
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Changwon Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Changwon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,538 in Changwon.

Nosara $1,839
Changwon $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,371 in Changwon.

Nosara $2,828
Changwon $2,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,204 in Changwon.

Nosara $3,818
Changwon $3,204

Living in Nosara is roughly 20% more expensive than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Changwon 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.54 ₩10.0K

63.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$28.15 ₩37.4K

117.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.24 ₩6,968

43.51%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.70 ₩4,923

19.19%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.79 ₩2,383

-2.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.01 ₩1,338

29.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.03 ₩4,023

8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.18 ₩5,563

6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.24 ₩2,983

-30.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.20 ₩4,254

-5.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.20 ₩4,257

-21.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.61 ₩3,476

36.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.83 ₩14.4K

-31.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-1.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$24.43 ₩32.5K

-42.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$11.09 ₩14.7K

-78.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.62 ₩4,807

-55.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$8.02 ₩10.7K

-40.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.01 ₩7,991

-73.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$5.82 ₩7,745

-34.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.28 ₩4,358

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.82 ₩3,746

-59.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.33 ₩1,771

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.39 ₩4,508

52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.77 ₩25.0K

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.34 ₩3,114

23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.35 ₩4,451

8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.98 ₩1,300

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.91 ₩3,874

-26.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.78 ₩1,031

101.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.59 ₩22.1K

-48.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.36 ₩1,806

11.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.3K ₩39.0M

-26.24%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.1K ₩44.0M

4.37%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$199 ₩264.0K

-51.50%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$36.37 ₩48.4K

-1.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.52 ₩35.3K

102.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$52.5 ₩69.8K

36.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.48 ₩16.6K

179.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.99 ₩14.6K

-28.21%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$629 ₩836.2K

-21.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.9K ₩29.2M

-45.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$106 ₩140.8K

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$64.4 ₩85.6K

-13.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$127 ₩168.7K

-37.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$543 ₩722.4K

45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$378 ₩502.1K

110.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,240 ₩1.6M

217.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$753 ₩1.0M

88.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$7,598 ₩10.1M

-9.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$6,197 ₩8.2M

-80.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,705 ₩2.3M

-49.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.22

104.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Changwon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Changwon

$378 24.6% 52.5% $417

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Changwon

$483 31.4% 37.1% $131

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Changwon

$155 10.1% 26.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Changwon

$261 17% 40.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Changwon

$175 11.4% 46.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Changwon

$74 4.8% 14.8% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Changwon

$11 * 0.7% 87.7% $76

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 $788 in Nosara and $543 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changwon pays 97% 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 $28.00 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $483, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,055,839

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Changwon 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Changwon

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 Changwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Changwon differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,538 including rent). Changwon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in Changwon. 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 $543 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 37% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,538 in Changwon – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,538 in Changwon versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changwon but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Changwon 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 Changwon 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 Changwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.