Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ichihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
Learn more

Ichihara Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ichihara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,194 in Ichihara.

Nosara $1,839
Ichihara $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,963 in Ichihara.

Nosara $2,828
Ichihara $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,731 in Ichihara.

Nosara $3,818
Ichihara $2,731

Living in Nosara is roughly 54% more expensive than in Ichihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Ichihara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.25 ¥987

97.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$41.68 ¥6,585

46.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.96 ¥784

51.61%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.45 ¥545

27.83%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.05 ¥166

65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.74 ¥117

77.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.50 ¥395

31.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.09 ¥488

44.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.40 ¥221

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.66 ¥263

81.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.60 ¥568

-30.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.99 ¥315

79.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.39 ¥1,641

-28.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.90 ¥933

78.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.55 ¥2,298

-3.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.75 ¥908

-59.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.77 ¥438

-41.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.81 ¥445

70.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.12 ¥650

-60.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.59 ¥409

46.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.58 ¥408

43.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.27 ¥201

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.79 ¥125

236.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.87 ¥612

33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.27 ¥991

217.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.72 ¥271

68.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.00 ¥316

81.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.49 ¥236

-24.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$53.1 ¥8,389

36.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.08 ¥486

-30.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.75 ¥435

-42.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$20.19 ¥3,190

-57.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.11 ¥176

36.94%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-0.04%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.4K ¥2.9M

87.14%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$129 ¥20.4K

-25.46%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.13 ¥3,812

48.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.50 ¥4,976

70.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.03 ¥7,272

55.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.43 ¥1,964

-36.52%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$632 ¥99.9K

-21.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-19.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$63.2 ¥9,981

-14.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.21 ¥5,721

53.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.6 ¥9,726

26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$100 ¥15.9K

-20.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$470 ¥74.2K

67.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$326 ¥51.5K

143.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,055 ¥166.7K

273.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$816 ¥128.8K

74.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,722 ¥746.0K

46.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,935 ¥305.7K

-36.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ichihara

$326 27.3% 59% $469

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ichihara

$287 24.1% 18.5% $65

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ichihara

$132 11.1% 37.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ichihara

$185 15.5% 0.5% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ichihara

$118 9.9% 2.1% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ichihara

$71 5.9% 18.9% $16

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ichihara

$76 6.4% 12.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $470 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $42.00 in Ichihara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $287 per month, with Ichihara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

269,524

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ichihara 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ichihara

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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,791 in Ichihara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $470 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $632 in Ichihara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ichihara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Ichihara 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 Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.