Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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 Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Heyuan $1,776

Nosara costs about 132% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Heyuan is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.06 ¥20.44

303.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$29.30 ¥196

109.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.34 ¥35.68

45.32%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.06 ¥20.47

45.10%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.58 ¥3.87

208.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.34 ¥2.25

279.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.36 ¥9.11

138.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.75 ¥18.38

61.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.79 ¥11.95

-13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.91 ¥12.75

61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.11 ¥7.39

127.93%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.52 ¥10.19

126.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$16.29 ¥109

-55.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.14 ¥34.37

99.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.23 ¥81.8

15.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.29 ¥15.28

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.22 ¥8.18

34.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.38 ¥9.22

247.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.78 ¥11.89

-7.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.96 ¥6.40

301.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.18 ¥7.92

217.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.83 ¥5.55

31.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.66 ¥4.44

292.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.90 ¥26.04

31.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.64 ¥71.1

87.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.02 ¥6.79

174.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.90 ¥12.71

85.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.31 ¥2.10

293.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$17.71 ¥118

317.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.84 ¥12.32

17.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.43 ¥2.89

262.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$7.19 ¥48.04

20.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.33 ¥8.88

16.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.2K ¥128.1K

80.37%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$17.7K ¥118.6K

118.41%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$61.4 ¥410

54.53%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$16.39 ¥110

120.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$14.49 ¥96.9

266.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$41.17 ¥275

79.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$15.11 ¥101

135.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.54 ¥43.72

20.95%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$422 ¥2,823

16.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$24.4K ¥163.4K

-51.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.24 ¥329

11.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$41.47 ¥277

34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$81.1 ¥542

-0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$69.9 ¥467

11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$303 ¥2,026

164.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$182 ¥1,218

333.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$623 ¥4,165

542.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$375 ¥2,507

275.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,487 ¥23.3K

102.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,937 ¥13.0K

-36.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,362 ¥9,104

-34.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.38

155.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Heyuan

$182 23% 76.9% $607

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 31.8% $111

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 56.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 49.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 10.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 39.5% $35

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 74.1% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 54% higher in Heyuan, 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 $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

18:21 6:21 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,953,019

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Heyuan 15,660 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 132% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Heyuan 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 $792 in Heyuan to $1,835 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 Heyuan. 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.