Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Datong

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $715 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Datong
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Datong Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Datong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $715 in Datong.

Nosara $1,835
Datong $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,133 in Datong.

Nosara $2,825
Datong $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,551 in Datong.

Nosara $3,814
Datong $1,551

Living in Nosara is roughly 157% more expensive than in Datong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Datong is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$2.77 ¥18.50

345.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$21.44 ¥143

186.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.93 ¥32.98

57.40%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.05 ¥20.42

45.57%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.47 ¥3.11

280.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.27 ¥1.80

377.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$0.94 ¥6.31

244.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.06 ¥13.76

115.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.82 ¥12.16

-14.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.62 ¥10.80

90.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.89 ¥5.92

184.27%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.55 ¥10.36

122.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.59 ¥84.2

-41.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.23 ¥21.62

217.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.12 ¥67.7

39.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.87 ¥12.52

22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.26 ¥8.39

30.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.47 ¥9.83

225.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.15 ¥7.68

42.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.73 ¥4.89

427.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.92 ¥6.13

307.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.56 ¥3.77

94.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.51 ¥3.44

407.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.17 ¥21.22

61.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.71 ¥71.6

85.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.79 ¥5.29

254.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.60 ¥10.69

120.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.27 ¥1.80

351.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$16.82 ¥112

339.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.42 ¥9.48

52.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.33 ¥2.19

372.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.87 ¥45.96

26.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.17 ¥7.83

32.48%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

78.22%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$17.4K ¥116.3K

122.75%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$44.62 ¥298

112.51%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$9.53 ¥63.7

279.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$11.92 ¥79.7

345.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$42.32 ¥283

74.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$13.88 ¥92.8

156.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.84 ¥39.05

35.45%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$329 ¥2,198

49.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.5K ¥110.5K

-28.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$44.27 ¥296

23.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$30.48 ¥204

83.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$71.5 ¥478

12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.7 ¥473

10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$283 ¥1,890

183.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$193 ¥1,289

309.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$598 ¥3,999

569.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$363 ¥2,424

288.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,069 ¥20.5K

130.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,036 ¥13.6K

-39.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.89

121.59%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Datong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Datong

$193 27% 75.6% $597

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Datong

$198 27.7% 43.4% $152

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Datong

$85 11.9% 59.9% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Datong

$66 9.2% 64.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Datong

$98 13.7% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Datong

$54 7.6% 39.7% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Datong

$21 2.9% 76.4% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $283 in Datong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $21.00 in Datong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $198 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Datong

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,318,057

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Datong 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Datong

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 Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 157% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,072 in Datong to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $283 in Datong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $329 in Datong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $715 in Datong versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Datong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Datong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $715 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Datong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Datong 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 Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.