Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Icheon: $1,595 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
Learn more

Icheon Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Icheon

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,595 in Icheon, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Icheon $1,595

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,043 in Icheon, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Icheon $2,043

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,491 in Icheon, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Icheon $2,491

Nosara costs about 15% more than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Icheon sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Icheon by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.20 ₩8,267

99.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$48.38 ₩64.5K

26.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.62 ₩8,834

13.60%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.70 ₩4,941

19.19%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.33 ₩1,780

30.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.17 ₩1,558

11.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.80 ₩5,070

-13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.22 ₩5,626

5.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.23 ₩2,980

-30.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.27 ₩4,361

-7.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.21 ₩4,278

-21.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.74 ₩3,662

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.97 ₩14.6K

-32.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.56 ₩14.1K

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$25.36 ₩33.8K

-44.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-79.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.56 ₩4,748

-54.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$8.13 ₩10.8K

-40.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.90 ₩7,876

-72.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$6.05 ₩8,071

-37.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.38 ₩4,505

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.74 ₩3,660

-58.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.28 ₩1,707

107.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.29 ₩4,393

57.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.65 ₩24.9K

6.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.44 ₩3,256

18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.42 ₩4,561

6.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.10 ₩1,471

1.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.64 ₩4,853

-41.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.77 ₩1,031

103.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.77 ₩22.4K

-49.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.37 ₩1,827

10.95%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.9K ₩39.9M

-27.79%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.4K ₩44.6M

3.36%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$200 ₩266.2K

-51.74%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$36.02 ₩48.1K

-0.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.21 ₩36.3K

96.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$22.45 ₩29.9K

218.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.28 ₩15.1K

-30.05%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$642 ₩856.1K

-22.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$22.1K ₩29.5M

-46.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$106 ₩141.7K

-49.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$65.5 ₩87.4K

-15.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$93.9 ₩125.2K

-16.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$129 ₩172.2K

-38.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$748 ₩998.0K

5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$459 ₩611.9K

73.20%

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

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,317 ₩3.1M

-62.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.9

121.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Icheon

$459 28.8% 42.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Icheon

$488 30.6% 38.6% $136

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Icheon

$151 9.5% 28.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Icheon

$263 16.5% 41.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Icheon

$178 11.1% 47.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Icheon

$45 2.8% 48.5% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Icheon

$12 * 0.8% 86.3% $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 $748 in Icheon. 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 168% higher in Icheon, 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 Icheon. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $488 in Icheon – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

05:43 5:43 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

213,059

💱 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 = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Icheon 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,393 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $48.00 in Icheon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 39% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Icheon, where all-in costs run around $1,595, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Icheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Icheon – 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 Icheon. 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.