Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Fukuyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuyama: $1,134 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Fukuyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,134
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Fukuyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,134 in Fukuyama.

  • Nosara $1,835
  • Fukuyama $1,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,805 in Fukuyama.

  • Nosara $2,825
  • Fukuyama $1,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,476 in Fukuyama.

  • Nosara $3,814
  • Fukuyama $2,476

Living in Nosara is roughly 62% more expensive than in Fukuyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Fukuyama is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.34 ₡5,535
$7.51 ¥1,186
64.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 ₡27.5K
$31.20 ¥4,929
96.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.76 ₡3,481
$4.90 ¥775
58.37%
Cappuccino
$4.44 ₡1,992
$3.27 ¥517
35.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ₡803
$0.83 ¥132
115.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 ₡580
$0.52 ¥82.7
148.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,451
$1.91 ¥302
69.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 ₡1,985
$3.20 ¥505
38.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡696
$0.98 ¥155
58.16%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 ₡1,380
$0.79 ¥125
289.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 ₡1,133
$5.88 ¥929
-56.97%
Eggs
$3.45 ₡1,546
$2.07 ¥326
66.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.32 ₡3,284
$8.75 ¥1,382
-16.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.24 ₡4,594
$3.39 ¥535
202.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.10 ₡6,326
$10.76 ¥1,700
31.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 ₡1,027
$4.99 ¥788
-54.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 ₡737
$2.33 ¥369
-29.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.79 ₡2,149
$4.95 ¥782
-3.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.64 ₡735
$3.66 ¥578
-55.19%
Potato (1kg)
$3.85 ₡1,727
$1.87 ¥296
105.88%
Onion (1kg)
$3.75 ₡1,681
$1.64 ¥259
128.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ₡488
$0.99 ¥157
10.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 ₡1,160
$0.39 ¥62.4
564.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.12 ₡2,295
$3.85 ¥608
32.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.92 ₡8,931
$7.75 ¥1,224
157.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 ₡1,255
$1.64 ¥259
70.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 ₡1,580
$3.19 ¥503
10.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.22 ₡549
$1.45 ¥229
-15.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.9 ₡33.1K
$52.9 ¥8,358
39.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 ₡973
$3.39 ¥535
-35.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 ₡698
$3.82 ¥603
-59.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.67 ₡3,886
$28.88 ¥4,563
-69.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡697
$1.02 ¥162
51.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$12.4K ¥2.0M
178.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K ₡17.4M
$15.5K ¥2.4M
150.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.8 ₡42.5K
$103 ¥16.3K
-8.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.15 ₡16.2K
$18.57 ¥2,934
94.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 ₡23.8K
$30.10 ¥4,755
76.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.8 ₡33.1K
$51.1 ¥8,072
44.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.63 ₡16.0K
$1.92 ¥304
1755.73%
Cinema Ticket
$7.91 ₡3,548
$12.19 ¥1,926
-35.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡219.9K
$651 ¥102.9K
-24.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$6,461 ¥1.0M
83.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ₡24.6K
$37.55 ¥5,933
45.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.9 ₡25.1K
$31.32 ¥4,949
78.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 ₡36.0K
$63.5 ¥10.0K
26.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$102 ¥16.1K
-23.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$801 ₡359.1K
$535 ¥84.6K
49.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$790 ₡354.1K
$335 ¥53.0K
135.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,005 ₡1.8M
$1,101 ¥174.0K
263.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,409 ₡632.0K
$745 ¥117.7K
89.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,064 ₡3.2M
$4,284 ¥676.8K
64.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,236 ₡554.3K
$1,742 ¥275.2K
-29.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Fukuyama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$887 ₡397.6K
$1,387 ¥219.1K
-36.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
1
762.00%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Fukuyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$790
Fukuyama
$335 57.5% $454
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Fukuyama
$250 28.6% $100
Eating Out
Nosara
$213
Fukuyama
$135 36.3% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$184
Fukuyama
$152 17.5% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$121
Fukuyama
$105 12.9% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$90
Fukuyama
$75 15.8% $14
Getting Around
Nosara
$89
Fukuyama
$81 8.5% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $535 in Fukuyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fukuyama pays 56% 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 $31.00 in Fukuyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $250 per month, with Fukuyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇯🇵 Fukuyama
🕒 Local time
16:07 4:07 PM
07:07 7:07 AM
15 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
460,930
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Fukuyama 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Fukuyama

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 Fukuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Fukuyama?
Fukuyama wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fukuyama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Nosara or in Fukuyama?
On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Fukuyama. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Nosara compared to Fukuyama?
Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $535 in Fukuyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Nosara and in Fukuyama?
Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $651 in Fukuyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Nosara or in Fukuyama?
Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nosara or in Fukuyama?
At $1,134 in Fukuyama versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fukuyama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Fukuyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Fukuyama?
Both work as nomad bases, but Fukuyama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,134 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fukuyama hard to pass up.
How safe is Nosara compared to Fukuyama?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Fukuyama are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Fukuyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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