Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $734 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $734 in Chengdu, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Chengdu $734

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,211 in Chengdu, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Chengdu $1,211

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,688 in Chengdu, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Chengdu $1,688

Nosara costs about 150% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Chengdu is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.86 ¥19.11

327.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$22.31 ¥149

169.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.89 ¥32.71

54.19%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.99 ¥19.96

44.15%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.51 ¥3.40

237.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.28 ¥1.89

382.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.46 ¥9.74

121.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.18 ¥14.55

105.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.84 ¥12.28

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.55 ¥10.36

104.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.98 ¥6.58

146.94%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.57 ¥10.47

127.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.17 ¥94.7

-47.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.71 ¥24.76

180.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.12 ¥74.3

22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.87 ¥12.52

24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.31 ¥8.73

22.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.10 ¥7.34

330.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.14 ¥7.59

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.75 ¥5.03

396.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.68 ¥4.56

425.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.63 ¥4.19

74.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.55 ¥3.66

363.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.83 ¥25.59

29.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$4.60 ¥30.71

335.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.82 ¥5.45

240.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.46 ¥9.77

141.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.44 ¥2.93

170.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$24.70 ¥165

191.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.36 ¥9.09

64.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.31 ¥2.09

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.38 ¥29.26

102.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.30 ¥8.69

20.77%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$19.5K ¥130.6K

11.59%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

102.91%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$47.43 ¥317

97.03%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.39 ¥62.8

273.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$12.51 ¥83.6

311.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$27.41 ¥183

160.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$11.30 ¥75.5

213.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.14 ¥41.05

27.69%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$376 ¥2,516

30.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$14.9K ¥99.8K

-20.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$25.02 ¥167

113.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$28.00 ¥187

99.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$57.3 ¥383

38.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$52.7 ¥352

49.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$471 ¥3,145

67.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$257 ¥1,716

203.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$819 ¥5,472

371.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$536 ¥3,580

162.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,708 ¥24.8K

88.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,928 ¥12.9K

-37.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,277 ¥8,531

-31.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.38

155.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Chengdu

$257 34.2% 67.1% $523

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Chengdu

$195 25.9% 44.3% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Chengdu

$88 11.7% 57.9% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Chengdu

$69 9.2% 61.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Chengdu

$73 9.8% 39.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Chengdu

$40 5.3% 54.4% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 66.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $471 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Chengdu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $195 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

16:19 4:19 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Chengdu 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $734 in Chengdu – roughly 150% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,101 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $734 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 150%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Chengdu 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 $734 in Chengdu to $1,837 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 Chengdu. 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.