Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Itoman

For one person, living is cheaper in Itoman: $1,150 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Itoman
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Itoman Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Itoman

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Itoman

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,150 in Itoman, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Itoman $1,150

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,811 in Itoman, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Itoman $1,811

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,473 in Itoman, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Itoman $2,473

Nosara costs about 60% more than Itoman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Itoman is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.12 ¥492

295.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$40.23 ¥6,356

52.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$3.71 ¥587

109.16%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.46 ¥389

80.49%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.98 ¥155

82.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.79 ¥125

63.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.04 ¥322

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.50 ¥711

-1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.62 ¥255

-4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.80 ¥127

285.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.10 ¥333

20.48%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.82 ¥287

89.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$17.65 ¥2,789

-58.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.91 ¥459

251.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.06 ¥1,116

99.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.60 ¥570

-36.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.60 ¥411

-36.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.14 ¥337

123.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.99 ¥788

-67.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.46 ¥388

56.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.56 ¥405

46.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.27 ¥201

-14.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.64 ¥101

304.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.89 ¥614

31.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.54 ¥875

259.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.96 ¥310

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.33 ¥526

5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.50 ¥237

-18.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$53.7 ¥8,486

37.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.76 ¥594

-42.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$3.46 ¥546

-54.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$11.21 ¥1,770

-22.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.06 ¥167

46.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.8K ¥3.3M

66.32%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

158.29%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$161 ¥25.4K

-41.03%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$25.40 ¥4,013

42.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$37.99 ¥6,002

39.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$52.9 ¥8,363

39.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.87 ¥1,875

-33.36%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$332 ¥52.4K

47.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,598 ¥884.4K

112.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$48.55 ¥7,670

12.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$23.71 ¥3,746

135.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$48.74 ¥7,700

64.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.5 ¥15.2K

-19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$534 ¥84.4K

49.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$330 ¥52.1K

139.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,115 ¥176.2K

259.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$729 ¥115.2K

93.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,191 ¥662.1K

68.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,758 ¥277.8K

-29.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.23

286.55%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Itoman: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Itoman

$330 28.7% 58.2% $460

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Itoman

$249 21.6% 28.9% $101

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Itoman

$92 8% 56.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Itoman

$224 19.5% 21.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Itoman

$98 8.5% 19.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Itoman

$77 6.7% 14.4% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Itoman

$81 7% 9% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $534 in Itoman. 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 $40.00 in Itoman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $249 – making Itoman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Itoman

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

61,007

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Itoman 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Itoman

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 Itoman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,725 in Itoman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itoman, 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 $40.00 in Itoman. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $1,150 in Itoman. That's a gap of about 60%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Itoman, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Itoman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Itoman – 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 Itoman. 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.