Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cheonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheonan: $1,467 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cheonan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,467 in Cheonan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Cheonan $1,467

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,259 in Cheonan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Cheonan $2,259

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,051 in Cheonan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Cheonan $3,051

Nosara costs about 25% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Cheonan sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Cheonan by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.53 ₩10.0K

64.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.63 ₩30.1K

170.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.28 ₩5,693

75.70%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.47 ₩1,951

200.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.16 ₩1,538

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.40 ₩1,867

-6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.28 ₩3,031

43.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.40 ₩5,853

1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.60 ₩2,125

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.22 ₩4,287

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.07 ₩4,078

-18.24%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.61 ₩3,476

36.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-33.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.38 ₩13.8K

1.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$25.11 ₩33.4K

-44.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-79.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.73 ₩4,965

-56.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-40.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.04 ₩8,035

-73.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$6.10 ₩8,106

-37.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.34 ₩4,438

10.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.75 ₩3,651

-58.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.33 ₩1,765

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.38 ₩4,494

53.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.30 ₩24.3K

8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.43 ₩3,229

19.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.35 ₩4,454

8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.14 ₩1,509

-1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.05 ₩4,050

-29.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.78 ₩1,036

101.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.69 ₩22.2K

-48.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 ₩1,650

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-27.35%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.2K ₩45.5M

0.90%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$199 ₩264.9K

-51.66%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$35.67 ₩47.4K

0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.08 ₩36.0K

97.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.6 ₩68.6K

38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$11.77 ₩15.6K

196.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.13 ₩16.1K

-34.95%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$636 ₩845.7K

-22.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.5K ₩28.6M

-44.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$66.2 ₩88.0K

-18.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-6.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$92.6 ₩123.1K

-15.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$127 ₩168.9K

-37.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$478 ₩636.1K

64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$361 ₩479.5K

120.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,153 ₩1.5M

241.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$739 ₩982.3K

92.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$7,244 ₩9.6M

-4.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,422 ₩7.2M

-77.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,824 ₩2.4M

-52.66%

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 Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 54.6% $434

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 36.3% $128

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 42.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 41% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 29.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 13.2% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 86.8% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $478 in Cheonan. 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 111% higher in Cheonan, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $23.00 in Cheonan. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $480 in Cheonan – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

05:18 5:18 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

658,486

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cheonan 13,790 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 25% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,200 in Cheonan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $636 in Cheonan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cheonan, where all-in costs run around $1,467, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cheonan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cheonan costs $1,467 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Cheonan. 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.