Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,304 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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 Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kanazawa

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,304 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Kanazawa $1,304

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,052 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Kanazawa $2,052

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,800 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Kanazawa $2,800

Nosara costs about 41% more than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kanazawa is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.44 ¥1,175

65.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.25 ¥4,937

95.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.99 ¥788

50.70%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.38 ¥377

85.29%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.13 ¥178

53.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.58 ¥92.2

125.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.01 ¥318

63.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.27 ¥359

96.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.56 ¥247

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.33 ¥210

127.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$5.52 ¥873

-54.53%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.02 ¥320

76.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.81 ¥2,024

-42.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.52 ¥1,505

10.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$32.49 ¥5,132

-57.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.69 ¥584

-36.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.32 ¥366

-30.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$6.14 ¥970

-21.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.15 ¥655

-61.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.68 ¥582

3.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.43 ¥542

7.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 ¥202

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.96 ¥151

177.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.43 ¥542

51.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.96 ¥1,257

149.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.95 ¥308

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.52 ¥240

138.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.52 ¥240

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$54.2 ¥8,568

33.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.08 ¥487

-30.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.11 ¥491

-49.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.94 ¥4,257

-68.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 ¥167

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.1K ¥3.2M

7.42%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.4K ¥2.6M

110.53%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$146 ¥23.1K

-34.23%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.56 ¥3,722

52.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.65 ¥6,738

25.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$42.05 ¥6,644

70.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.47 ¥1,812

-31.21%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$318 ¥50.2K

55.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,093 ¥962.6K

94.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$49.09 ¥7,756

9.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$24.98 ¥3,947

121.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$46.39 ¥7,329

67.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$64.3 ¥10.2K

23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$454 ¥71.8K

73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$356 ¥56.2K

123.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,004 ¥158.6K

292.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$767 ¥121.2K

84.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,757 ¥751.5K

45.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,885 ¥297.9K

-35.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,869 ¥295.3K

-53.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.28

278.07%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kanazawa

$356 27.3% 55.2% $438

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kanazawa

$384 29.4% 8.9% $31

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kanazawa

$125 9.6% 41.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kanazawa

$213 16.3% 14.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kanazawa

$83 6.4% 30.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kanazawa

$65 5% 25.6% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kanazawa

$79 6.1% 9.4% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $454 in Kanazawa. 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 116% higher in Kanazawa, 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 $31.00 in Kanazawa. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $384 in Kanazawa – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

465,699

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Kanazawa 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,304 in Kanazawa – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,955 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,304 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,304, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kanazawa 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 $1,304 in Kanazawa to $1,839 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 Kanazawa. 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.