Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,539 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,539 in Gongju, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Gongju $1,539

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,437 in Gongju, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Gongju $2,437

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,335 in Gongju, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Gongju $3,335

Nosara costs about 20% more than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Gongju sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Gongju by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.29 ₩9,697

69.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$48.03 ₩63.9K

27.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.54 ₩8,700

14.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.77 ₩5,015

16.98%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.85 ₩2,461

-5.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.44 ₩1,918

-9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.84 ₩5,104

-14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.30 ₩5,721

3.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.26 ₩3,004

-30.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.19 ₩4,246

-5.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.16 ₩4,197

-20.57%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.74 ₩3,641

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.89 ₩14.5K

-31.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.47 ₩13.9K

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$24.73 ₩32.9K

-43.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-79.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.61 ₩4,803

-55.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$8.27 ₩11.0K

-41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.95 ₩7,908

-72.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$6.11 ₩8,120

-37.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.22 ₩4,283

14.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.83 ₩3,766

-60.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.28 ₩1,704

107.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.28 ₩4,357

57.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.67 ₩24.8K

6.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.38 ₩3,166

21.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.53 ₩4,700

2.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.14 ₩1,513

-1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.67 ₩4,884

-41.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.73 ₩967

115.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$17.08 ₩22.7K

-50.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.37 ₩1,819

10.95%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.5K ₩39.3M

-26.83%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.3K ₩44.3M

3.58%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$197 ₩262.1K

-51.15%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$36.42 ₩48.4K

-1.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.72 ₩35.5K

100.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.9 ₩69.0K

37.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.00 ₩16.0K

190.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.80 ₩15.7K

-33.14%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$624 ₩830.3K

-20.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.6K ₩28.7M

-45.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$104 ₩137.8K

-47.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$66.4 ₩88.3K

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$94.7 ₩125.9K

-17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$127 ₩168.5K

-37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$489 ₩650.1K

61.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$364 ₩484.6K

117.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,153 ₩1.5M

241.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$757 ₩1.0M

87.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$7,239 ₩9.6M

-4.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,410 ₩7.2M

-77.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,309 ₩1.7M

-34.02%

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 Gongju: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Gongju

$364 23.7% 54.1% $430

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Gongju

$486 31.6% 38% $134

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Gongju

$164 10.7% 22.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Gongju

$260 16.9% 40.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Gongju

$176 11.5% 46.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Gongju

$75 4.9% 13.6% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 86.4% $75

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 $489 in Gongju. 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 52% higher in Gongju, 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 $48.00 in Gongju. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $486 in Gongju – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

07:48 7:48 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

110,428

💱 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

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Between locations

Nosara Gongju 13,820 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,539 in Gongju – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,308 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, 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 $1,539 in Gongju. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $624 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gongju, where all-in costs run around $1,539, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Gongju 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 $1,539 in Gongju to $1,839 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 Gongju. 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.