Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Himeji

For one person, living is cheaper in Himeji: $1,283 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
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Himeji Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Himeji

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,283 in Himeji, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Himeji $1,283

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,047 in Himeji, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Himeji $2,047

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,811 in Himeji, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Himeji $2,811

Nosara costs about 43% more than Himeji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Himeji is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$8.46 ¥1,336

45.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.07 ¥4,909

97.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.11 ¥807

51.86%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.35 ¥371

88.94%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.24 ¥196

44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.82 ¥129

57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.20 ¥505

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.06 ¥483

44.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.56 ¥247

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.48 ¥233

108.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$4.12 ¥650

-38.59%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.18 ¥344

58.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$15.50 ¥2,449

-52.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.78 ¥1,072

51.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$16.88 ¥2,667

-16.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$8.37 ¥1,323

-72.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.97 ¥470

-44.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$5.06 ¥799

-5.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$7.86 ¥1,241

-79.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$3.90 ¥617

-1.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$4.70 ¥743

-20.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.12 ¥177

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.89 ¥141

191.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.87 ¥611

32.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$9.74 ¥1,539

104.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.61 ¥412

7.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.10 ¥332

67.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.44 ¥228

-15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$53.0 ¥8,373

39.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.13 ¥494

-30.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.82 ¥446

-44.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$15.45 ¥2,441

-43.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.07 ¥168

44.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

60.64%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

156.62%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$118 ¥18.6K

-19.38%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$23.44 ¥3,704

54.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$31.67 ¥5,003

67.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$52.6 ¥8,314

40.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.36 ¥1,795

-30.37%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$564 ¥89.1K

-13.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-19.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.92 ¥7,886

9.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$35.51 ¥5,611

57.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$61.6 ¥9,739

30.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$99.2 ¥15.7K

-21.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$541 ¥85.4K

48.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$328 ¥51.8K

140.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,100 ¥173.8K

264.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$729 ¥115.2K

93.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,304 ¥680.0K

64.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,725 ¥272.5K

-28.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.02

326.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Himeji

$328 25.6% 58.4% $461

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Himeji

$379 29.5% 8.4% $29

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Himeji

$142 11% 33.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Himeji

$173 13.5% 6.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Himeji

$111 8.6% 8.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Himeji

$75 5.9% 15.9% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Himeji

$76 5.9% 14.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $541 in Himeji. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $31.00 in Himeji. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $379 in Himeji – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Himeji

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

09:22 9:22 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

535,571

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Himeji 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Himeji

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 Himeji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,925 in Himeji. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $31.00 in Himeji. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Himeji, where all-in costs run around $1,283, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Himeji it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Himeji – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Himeji. 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.