Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,398 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cheongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,398 in Cheongju.

Nosara $1,839
Cheongju $1,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,320 in Cheongju.

Nosara $2,828
Cheongju $2,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,241 in Cheongju.

Nosara $3,818
Cheongju $3,241

Living in Nosara is roughly 32% more expensive than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cheongju 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.64 ₩10.2K

61.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$48.79 ₩64.9K

25.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.13 ₩8,153

22.68%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.65 ₩4,851

20.82%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.78 ₩2,361

-2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.41 ₩1,873

-7.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.79 ₩5,033

-13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.40 ₩5,845

1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.35 ₩3,128

-33.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.11 ₩4,129

-2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.14 ₩4,178

-20.06%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.71 ₩3,606

31.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.18 ₩14.9K

-33.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.27 ₩13.7K

2.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$24.55 ₩32.6K

-43.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$11.41 ₩15.2K

-79.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.56 ₩4,727

-54.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$8.30 ₩11.0K

-42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.91 ₩7,859

-72.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$6.14 ₩8,161

-38.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.26 ₩4,336

13.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.74 ₩3,637

-58.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.29 ₩1,717

106.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.32 ₩4,413

56.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.55 ₩24.7K

7.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.47 ₩3,287

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.35 ₩4,458

8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.09 ₩1,450

2.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.57 ₩4,741

-40.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.77 ₩1,017

103.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.65 ₩22.1K

-48.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.36 ₩1,811

11.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.5K ₩39.2M

-26.79%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.4K ₩44.4M

3.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$203 ₩269.6K

-52.52%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.35 ₩32.4K

47.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.57 ₩35.3K

101.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$52.5 ₩69.8K

36.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.07 ₩16.1K

189.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.10 ₩16.1K

-34.79%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$624 ₩830.0K

-20.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$22.0K ₩29.3M

-46.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$37.95 ₩50.5K

42.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$64.9 ₩86.3K

-14.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$95.1 ₩126.4K

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$113 ₩150.1K

-29.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$347 ₩461.0K

127.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$267 ₩354.8K

197.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,158 ₩1.5M

240.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$758 ₩1.0M

87.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$7,214 ₩9.6M

-4.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,577 ₩7.4M

-78.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,595 ₩3.5M

-66.72%

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 Cheongju: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cheongju

$267 19.1% 66.4% $527

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cheongju

$485 34.7% 37.7% $133

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cheongju

$164 11.7% 22.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cheongju

$254 18.2% 36.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cheongju

$140 10% 16.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 12.2% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 86.5% $75

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 $347 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays 201% 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 $49.00 in Cheongju. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $485, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

04:54 4:54 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

835,669

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Cheongju 13,780 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 201% lower in Cheongju. 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 $347 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $624 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,398 in Cheongju versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cheongju but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cheongju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cheongju delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,398 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cheongju hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cheongju 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 Cheongju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.