Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Hamamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $775 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Hamamatsu
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Hamamatsu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Hamamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Hamamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $775 in Hamamatsu.

Nosara $1,839
Hamamatsu $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,251 in Hamamatsu.

Nosara $2,828
Hamamatsu $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,727 in Hamamatsu.

Nosara $3,818
Hamamatsu $1,727

Living in Nosara is roughly 137% more expensive than in Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Hamamatsu is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.86 ¥610

219.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.71 ¥6,432

50.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.07 ¥801

48.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.34 ¥528

32.04%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.04 ¥165

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.75 ¥118

74.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.49 ¥393

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.22 ¥508

38.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.01 ¥160

54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.64 ¥260

84.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.65 ¥577

-31.23%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.60 ¥253

123.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.37 ¥1,638

-28.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.92 ¥935

77.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.44 ¥2,282

-3.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.69 ¥899

-58.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.80 ¥443

-42.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.95 ¥467

62.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.14 ¥654

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.63 ¥415

44.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.54 ¥401

45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.24 ¥196

-8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.65 ¥102

309.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.86 ¥610

34.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.19 ¥977

221.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.76 ¥278

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.11 ¥333

72.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$50.8 ¥8,017

43.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.21 ¥507

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.74 ¥433

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$20.75 ¥3,278

-58.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.10 ¥173

38.18%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K ¥3.3M

3.07%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.1K ¥2.9M

91.23%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$131 ¥20.7K

-26.41%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.51 ¥1,345

321.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$32.52 ¥5,137

64.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.81 ¥2,655

107.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.81 ¥2,024

-38.41%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$643 ¥101.5K

-23.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-20.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$61.5 ¥9,712

-12.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.85 ¥5,822

50.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.0 ¥9,639

27.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$102 ¥16.1K

-21.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$7,748 ¥1.2M

-10.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,222 ¥825.0K

-76.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,580 ¥249.7K

-45.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.64

226.52%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hamamatsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Hamamatsu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Hamamatsu

$280 36.2% 20.4% $72

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Hamamatsu

$112 14.5% 47% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Hamamatsu

$172 22.2% 7.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Hamamatsu

$118 15.2% 2.1% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Hamamatsu

$26 * 3.3% 70.7% $62

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Hamamatsu

$68 * 8.7% 22.3% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Hamamatsu pays 83% 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 $41.00 in Hamamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $280 per month, with Hamamatsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

17:36 5:36 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

797,033

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Hamamatsu 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Hamamatsu

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 Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Hamamatsu differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $775 including rent). Hamamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Hamamatsu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamamatsu – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $775 in Hamamatsu versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamamatsu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Hamamatsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Hamamatsu 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 Hamamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.