Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hachioji

For one person, living is cheaper in Hachioji: $1,413 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Hachioji
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,413
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hachioji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,413 in Hachioji.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Hachioji $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,105 in Hachioji.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Hachioji $2,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,796 in Hachioji.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Hachioji $2,796

Living in Nosara is roughly 30% more expensive than in Hachioji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Hachioji 5% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$5.48 ¥865
125.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$31.97 ¥5,052
91.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$4.66 ¥737
61.37%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$3.06 ¥484
44.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$0.83 ¥131
109.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.67 ¥106
95.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$2.70 ¥427
21.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$3.21 ¥507
39.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.25 ¥198
24.80%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.56 ¥246
93.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$4.35 ¥688
-42.30%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.09 ¥330
70.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$10.39 ¥1,641
-28.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$6.39 ¥1,010
64.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$16.65 ¥2,630
-16.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$3.73 ¥589
-37.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$2.24 ¥354
-28.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.92 ¥462
64.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$4.05 ¥641
-60.25%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$2.43 ¥384
56.38%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$2.45 ¥387
50.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.29 ¥204
-12.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.79 ¥124
236.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$3.85 ¥608
34.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$6.60 ¥1,043
201.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$2.47 ¥390
17.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.17 ¥343
67.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$0.94 ¥149
19.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$54.4 ¥8,598
33.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.09 ¥488
-30.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$3.72 ¥588
-57.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$18.49 ¥2,921
-53.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.08 ¥171
40.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$21.2K ¥3.3M
2.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$15.0K ¥2.4M
130.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$136 ¥21.6K
-29.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$20.79 ¥3,284
72.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$36.35 ¥5,743
47.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$52.2 ¥8,249
37.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$24.96 ¥3,944
39.86%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$13.07 ¥2,064
-39.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$589 ¥93.1K
-16.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$11.1K ¥1.8M
7.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$49.22 ¥7,776
9.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$31.23 ¥4,935
77.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$62.4 ¥9,864
24.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$90.0 ¥14.2K
-11.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$939 ¥148.3K
-16.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$549 ¥86.7K
44.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,549 ¥244.8K
154.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$937 ¥148.0K
51.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$4,294 ¥678.4K
60.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$1,751 ¥276.6K
-30.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Hachioji
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$2,806 ¥443.3K
-69.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
2.21
290.05%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hachioji: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Hachioji
$549 30.9% $246
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Hachioji
$288 18.3% $65
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Hachioji
$121 43.1% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Hachioji
$194 4.2% $7.9
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Hachioji
$105 12.7% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Hachioji
$78 10.3% $9
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Hachioji
$80 8.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $939 in Hachioji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hachioji pays 225% 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 $32.00 in Hachioji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $288 per month, with Hachioji cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇯🇵 Hachioji
🕒 Local time
20:06 8:06 PM
11:06 11:06 AM
15 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
555,517
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Hachioji 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Hachioji

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 Hachioji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Hachioji?
Hachioji wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hachioji the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Nosara or in Hachioji?
On paper, salaries run 225% lower in Hachioji. 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 Hachioji?
Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $939 in Hachioji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Nosara or in Hachioji?
Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Nosara and in Hachioji?
Dining out is cheaper in Hachioji – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nosara or in Hachioji?
At $1,413 in Hachioji versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hachioji but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hachioji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Hachioji?
Both work as nomad bases, but Hachioji delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,413 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hachioji hard to pass up.
How safe is Nosara compared to Hachioji?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Hachioji 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 Hachioji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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